A Journey of Love and Heartache
by Claris o Caerdydd
Summary: After a passionate romance with her foster brother, Elrohir, can Lynwen, a mortal who was orphaned as a baby, finally find belonging, love, and happiness in the arms of the blonde Prince of Mirkwood, Legolas? Or will it all end in even more heartache? Set just before, and during, The War of the Ring.
1. Finally Home

_Hiya everyone, and welcome to my story! This is my first fanfic, so constructive criticism is very welcome! I'm a huge Legolas fan and have always loved the idea of an OC being romantically torn between him and Elrohir. And being unable to find many stories that have this same idea, I decided to just write one myself. This story is rated M for a reason, as you'll discover in later chapters! And I'll put warnings at the beginning of the chapters that have the adult material in them. So expect lots of romance, adventure, hurt, adult themes, and a few twists and turns along the way. I hope you enjoy the story, and thanks very much for reading!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with The Lord of the Rings._

Chapter One - Finally Home

The sun was setting beyond the horizon, casting deep orange and red colours across the landscape, the surface of the River Bruinen glistening in red fiery shades. The view of The Ford up ahead was a welcoming sight for the approaching party of elves that had set out from Rivendell some twelve years earlier. Seeing the river in all its natural beauty caused them all to draw their horses to a halt and pause on the banks, smiling and feeling content knowing that they were finally home.

The party had been sent out by the Lord Elrond of Rivendell all those years earlier, with the instructions to travel to various realms throughout Middle Earth and gather reports and information about the current lays of those lands, paying particular attention to the lands of men which, due to the mortality of that race, meant that changes in rulers, boundaries and general politics, changed hands frequently. At least it was seen as frequent through the eyes of the immortal elves.

This expedition was considered very important by Lord Elrond, and it was something that he instructed to be carried out every fifty to sixty years. He always thought it was vital to know what was happening throughout the lands of Middle Earth, and that the information gathered from these expeditions could keep him up to date with the current goings-on, and in turn, help him in better protecting Rivendell from any potential new foes.

After the party had drawn their horses to a halt, the two dark haired leaders of the expedition pulled their horses up in front of the now stationary group, and paused, inhaling a long intake of breath before slowly releasing it, relieved smiles upon their faces. This was the fourth time in around two hundred years that Lord Elrond's twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, were sent out as the leaders of this regular expedition, and although they loved to travel and experience the varying cultures of Middle Earth, they were always pleased to arrive home afterwards.

It only took Elrohir, the youngest of the twins, a few seconds to leap effortlessly from his horse and walk the few steps to the river's edge. He dropped to his knees and placed both of his hands into the cool, clear water, scooping the liquid into his palms before splashing it over his face. He sat back on his heels tilting his head up to the sky and let out a long contented sigh while closing his eyes.

Elladan, the eldest of the twins, still sat upon his horse and smiled widely at his brother, for he seemed to do this every time they came back to Rivendell after their long journeys, almost becoming a ritual.

"The sooner you get up off the floor and back onto your horse, the sooner we can all cross this ford and finally arrive home" said Elladan, still smiling at his brother.

Elrohir seemed to ignore Elladan's comment, and continued to keep his head tilted upwards while taking in deep intakes of breath, relishing in the familiar smells and sounds of the surroundings, before slowly exhaling. After a few minutes he gently opened his eyes and tilted his head back down to look at the river flowing in front of him. "It's good to be home" Elrohir whispered to himself, before standing up and slowly taking the few steps back to his horse, which he leapt upon with great ease. Turning his head towards his brother, he could see that Elladan was looking at him with a big, almost teasing, grin upon his face.

"What are you laughing at?" Elrohir snapped at his brother.

"I'm not laughing, I'm smiling" was Elladan's smart response, still holding that same grin on his face.

"Ok, so what are you _smiling_ at?" Elrohir's emphasis on the word 'smiling', and his now serious expression, showed Elladan that his brother's anger at being mocked was beginning to rise, which just encouraged Elladan to tease him further.

Elrohir had always been the most boisterous and short-tempered of the two brothers, their father even referring to him as "wild" and "unruly" more times than one. Elrohir would always be the one up to more mischief, and general disobedience. He was a free-spirited elf, who found it impossible to remain still for too long, usually getting bored very quickly. And his fiery, unpredictable character had seen him get into many random brawls with people who may have thrown him a wrong look, or made a passing comment, which would usually end up with an unconscious elf or man on the floor, and Elrohir standing over him with a fat lip or a black eye! And this would usually be followed by a scolding from his father. Elrohir just didn't have the ability to keep calm and walk away from those types of confrontations, unlike his brother.

Elladan was the calmer, more level-headed of the twins. He was a fairly quiet elf, but in no way was he shy. He had a quiet confidence about him, with a composed, authoritative air. He was able to take control of most affairs, and complex scenarios that he sometimes found himself in. It would be him that would do most of the talking and negotiations when it came to business. And it would be him that would have to drag his brother from troublesome situations, and keep a close eye on him to try and steer him away from further trouble.

But sometimes, Elladan just couldn't resist the urge to wind Elrohir up. With Elrohir's fiery temperament, it was just such an easy thing to achieve.

"I was smiling at your little ritual you have going on there. Are there any more you have planned that we should know about? Just so we all have an idea as to whether we'll manage to make it through the gates of Imladris before the end of the Third Age." Elladan said to his brother, still holding the teasing grin upon his face.

Elrohir's expression became more sterner, and the anger rising within him at his brother's teasing, was now clearly evident on his face. "Shut your face, Elladan, or I'll shut it for you!" was all Elrohir could muster before turning his gaze back towards the river, and suddenly starting his horse into a gallop across The Ford.

Elladan, now sniggering to himself and to the elves beside him, gently kicked his heels into the sides of his horse and followed his brother across The Ford, signalling to the rest of the party to follow.

The party entered into the realm of Rivendell, which was known as Imladris among the elves, just as the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon. It was now dusk, and what little sunlight remained of that day, was dimly casting itself over the beautiful landscape. The party were met by a few of the border guards, who had called for some stable hands to retrieve the horses from the weary group. As the horses were led away, the party steadily made their way up the stone steps that led to the grand halls and main residences of Imladris. The view from the top of the steps was breathtaking, with each member of the group pausing to take in the spectacular sight of the great valley with its vast array of waterfalls thundering from a great height into the waters below. Stunning gardens and carefully kept green areas dotted the landscape, and beautifully carved buildings added to the magnificence. And with the moonlight giving the landscape a white, eerie glow, it only added to the magic of this place.

"It's good to have you all home" said a voice from behind them, interrupting the group from their brief reverie. They turned around to see Lord Elrond standing there, a warm smile upon his face. The group immediately placed their hands on to their chests and bowed their heads at Elrond, as was a typical greeting amongst the elves. Elrond returned the same greeting to the group with a slight bow of his head, "you are fortunate to have arrived back at this time, for you have managed to catch the start of the evening feast. There are refreshments for you all in the Great Hall, and your chambers are still readily awaiting you, for I'm sure you are all wary from your travels."

With that, the group, with the exception of the twins, gave another bow of their heads in gratitude and walked away from Elrond, heading towards the Great Hall.

Elrond turned to face his twin sons who, immediately after the departure of their travelling companions, both embraced their father in a joyous hug. "It's good to see you Ada (Dad)!" said Elladan, still embracing his father tightly.

"Aye, we've missed your constant lectures and scolding, Ada" said Elrohir, a warm affectionate smile upon his face.

Elrond let out a huge laugh at this last comment, embracing his sons once more. "There'll be no lectures tonight, Elrohir. I'm giving you the night off!" Elrond said, a heart-warming smile across his face. "Come, let us get something to eat. And unless there's anything I should know about right away, then you can both retire for the night, and we'll discuss your travels in the morning." Elrond then placed his arms around the shoulders of his two sons who were standing either side of him, and guided them towards the Great Hall.


	2. Reunited

Chapter Two - Reunited

The early-Spring morning sunlight gently shone into Elrohir's bed chambers, reflecting off the warm magnolia colours of the walls, causing him to stir from his deep slumber. His long, straight black hair cascaded over his bare back and shoulders as he lay on his stomach, slowly trying to wake himself up, but finding it much easier to just give up and fall back to sleep.

He wasn't sure how long he had been drifting in and out of sleep, when a loud knock sounded on his bedroom door.

Elrohir, still lying on his stomach wearing only a thin pair of breeches, lazily opened one eye with a frown, and stared at the door. "Why can't I just be left alone?" he muttered to himself.

Another knock sounded, and much louder this time. "If that's Elladan, I'll send him to an early grave!" he growled to himself.

The knock sounded again, this time with great force and such strength, that it couldn't be ignored. "It must be Elladan, for only he would be such a persevering pain in the ass!" he muttered to himself through gritted teeth.

"What do you want?!" Elrohir then shouted from his bed.

At that, the bedroom door was suddenly forced opened, almost swinging off it's hinges with the speed. Elrohir was still lying there, ready to give a verbal bashing to his brother, when, instead of Elladan, in walked a young maiden carrying a breakfast tray.

Elrohir was surprised that such a thunderous hammering on the door could've come from someone so small. She was quite short, he thought to himself, only about 5'4", and she was of slim build.

The first thing he noticed was how the dark green dress she was wearing, exposed her shoulders, and perfectly sculpted collar bone. And the way the dress clung to every curve on her body, and moulded perfectly over her slightly large and rounded breasts, was a little too much for Elrohir to take. His mood suddenly calmed at this observation, for being presented with this sight was more than enough compensation for being woken up so abruptly.

She had dark brown hair that reached just below her shoulders, slightly curly, and even a bit messy he thought to himself. She had a clear, pale complexion, with skin that was a mixture of tones of pink and white. And she had large, round, dark blue eyes, that stared at Elrohir from her position at the foot of his bed.

She was a strange elleth (female elf), he thought to himself. What with her white and pinkish skin tone, her short height, her mad hair, and the faint brown freckles she had dotted over her nose and shoulders, she certainly wasn't the pure, flawless image of all the other elleths he knew of. But these traits of hers weren't a bad thing he thought as he stared at her more closely. No, she was actually quite beautiful. Her body was very desirable, her face had prominent cheek bones that made her striking to look at, and she had full pink lips. And then there were those eyes! Those eyes were beautiful!

Elrohir snapped out of his daydreaming when the maiden, after setting down the breakfast tray, suddenly placed her hands on her hips and looked at him with an angry frown upon her face.

"It's about time you woke up! Elladan's been up for ages! We all have!"

Elrohir couldn't hide the shocked expression on his face at the way this strange maiden was addressing him. He just continued to stare at her, not quite sure what to say.

"Quickly, eat your breakfast!" She ordered him.

He was now starting to feel a little awkward, and even a bit embarrassed at the way this stranger was barking orders at him, and made a mental note that he may need to have a word with Ada about this, supposedly, cuckoo staff member who, he noticed, was still glaring at him from her position at the foot of his bed.

Then, to his even greater surprise, the maiden suddenly spun around and walked over to his wardrobe, quickly pulling out some of his clothing, and then threw the items at him from across the room.

"You need to get dressed, Elrohir, and go down to Ada's study before he comes to fetch you himself!"

He was confused by her addressing Elrond as 'Ada'. And was even more confused, and a little frightened, when the maiden then smiled widely and ran across the room towards him, throwing herself onto the bed before leaning down to give him a long hard kiss on the cheek. She then pulled back a bit, her face now only a few inches from his, displaying a radiant smile which, Elrohir noticed, brought a look of sheer happiness, and even a bit of mischief to those gorgeous eyes of hers.

"It's good to have you home Elrohir, I've really missed you." She said to him, still smiling at him radiantly.

He stared at her for a few moments, still trying to wake himself up so that he could try to work out what the hell was going on!

Then, the sudden realisation as to who this maiden was, hit Elrohir like a ton of bricks!

"Lynwen? It cannot be you!" Elrohir gasped with wide eyes, staring up at the maiden before him.

The girl laughed at his statement. "Of course it's me, Ro! Did you not recognise me?" she asked him curiously, with a slight tilt of her head.

Elrohir quickly sat up on his bed and pulled Lynwen into a strong embrace, tightly wrapping his arms around her and giving her a bone crushing hug. He then placed both of his hands on her shoulders and slowly pushed her away from him so that he could take another look at her. He just couldn't believe he was looking at the once, snotty faced, human child, that his father had taken into his care many years ago when she had been found on the borders of Rivendell at only a few months old.

Elrohir and his brother had been sent out on patrol that day, seventeen years ago, after news had reached them that orcs had been spotted near the perimeter of Rivendell. The brothers had found the human baby lying hidden in a crib near the slaughtered bodies of, who were presumably, her parents. It was an obvious orc attack, and the baby they had found hidden under a cloak on the back of the wooden cart, was lucky to still be alive. The cloak, obviously being a last minute desperate attempt by her parents to try and hide their child from the attacking orcs. And it had worked. And although a little distressed, the baby was well, and she was taken back to Rivendell by the twins and presented to their father. And not knowing where the slaughtered couple had come from, or where they were going to, Lord Elrond had no choice but to raise the child himself, giving her the name, Lynwen.

Elrohir was now smiling widely at Lynwen with so much warmth and affection upon his face.

"How could I recognise you!? I've been gone twelve years, and you've... grown so much!" He said, looking her up and down again. "I just can't believe it's you, Lynwen!" He embraced her again, holding her close to his chest, his arms wrapped around her back. His surprise at seeing her was obvious in his actions as he placed his hands on either side of her head, pulling himself away from her slightly.

"Let me look at you!" He said, and looked at her with a mixture of surprise and compassion on his face, shaking his head a little in disbelief. He started to run his hands over her hair, pushing stray strands away from her face. He was taking in every inch of her, studying her intently.

"I've missed you too, little one!" he finally said, still looking her up and down. "And you were what, five years old when me and Elladan left for the expedition?" he was still a little stunned as he spoke.

"Yes, I was five", she said, smiling at his reaction to seeing her. "And I remember watching you leave through those gates like it was yesterday!"

Elrohir still had his hands on either side of her head, one hand still fingering her hair slightly, as if he was studying it, still trying to accept that it really was her. Lynwen then brought up one of her hands and placed it over his, and looked down at the bed a little sheepishly.

"You know, I cried for months after you'd gone. When Ada explained to me that you weren't going to be coming back for a very long time, I felt such an emptiness inside me, even at that young age."

Elrohir smiled at her even more, his warm affection for this young girl, no, young _woman_, sitting in front of him, just radiated from his being even more. And by looking at how grown up she was, suddenly made him very aware of his lack of clothing right now!

She tilted her head up slightly to look at him again, that mischief he'd spotted before, now clearly evident in her eyes.

"And, I never did find anyone else who could get me into all sorts of trouble like you did, Ro."

Elrohir laughed heartedly at her last comment, her use of his nickname making him even more happy to have her here with him again, and instantly putting him at ease. He moved his hand down from the side of her head and affectionately placed it upon her cheek. He leaned his face into hers and gazed into her eyes, the same mischief now flashing in his.

"Well I'm back now, little one" he said, with a cheeky grin upon his face.


	3. Unexpected Attraction

Chapter 3 - Unexpected Attraction

After he'd quickly eaten the breakfast that Lynwen had brought him, while having to listen to her talking incessantly, Elrohir then swiftly made his way down the open-air corridors that overlooked the stunning scenery of his home land, and towards his father's study. Upon reaching the room, he quickly entered and sat down opposite his father and Elladan.

"Nice of you to join us, Elrohir" his father said sarcastically, while still looking down at his papers on the desk in front of him.

"Sorry Ada, I overslept. And then I got into a long conversation with Lynwen and lost track of the time!"

Elrond looked up at Elrohir at this, but remained silent.

"Have you seen her, Elladan? Lynwen, I mean! Have you seen her yet?!" Elrohir's surprise at seeing her was obvious to the two sat in front of him.

"Aye, I saw her. It was me who sent her to your room to wake you up!" Elladan replied.

"I didn't know who she was at first!" Elrohir spoke with such excitement. "I thought Ada had employed some mad woman into the household!" Elrohir nodded his head in his father's direction at this comment. "And then it just came to me! I just suddenly realised it was Lynwen! I don't know how because she looks so... different! Maybe it was that same look in her eyes she used to have as a kid, I suppose. But she's changed so much, a grown woman, can you believe it?!" Elrohir's surprise and excitement at seeing her was still very evident in his voice.

"Yes, I can believe it Elrohir. We've been gone twelve years. So I kind of expected to find her twelve years older." Elladan sarcastically replied.

Elrond was still looking up at Elrohir from his papers, his position unchanged, his face with a hint of seriousness and concern. Elladan's sarcastic comment went unnoticed by Elrohir, and instead his attention was now fixed on the way his father was staring at him. It was as if his father was studying him, watching his actions and listening to his words intently.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Elrohir suddenly asked his father.

Elrond looked at his son a moment longer before slowly leaning back in his chair, eyes still on Elrohir.

"No reason, ion nin (my son)." he said, while slowly taking his eyes off Elrohir. He then held up the papers in his hand. "Well, Elladan has informed me of the first part of your expedition, so let us all continue on with the rest, shall we?"

It was hours later when Elrond finally allowed his twin sons to leave his study. Happy with the amount of information that they had provided him with, but still eager to hear more, especially of the tales of growing activities in Mordor. So he had arranged for the three of them to continue their meeting the following morning.

Elrohir was the first to leave his father's study, breaking out of there like a mini tornado, leaving the door swinging from its hinges as he ran out. Elladan, a lot more calmer, and slower paced than his brother, stopped in the doorway before exiting the study, and turned to face his father.

"You worry Elrohir may get too close to Lynwen, don't you? I could see it written all over your face earlier."

Elrond looked up at his son at this, the same concerned expression he had earlier, now evident in his face once again. He sighed deeply, placing his papers on his desk before looking up at Elladan once more.

"I know how easily Elrohir can get... distracted, shall we say. And I love Lynwen as if she were my own flesh and blood, but I came to accept the fact that she is mortal a long time ago and therefore, won't be with us forever. But I'm not sure that Elrohir has ever realised this, and so..." he sat down in his chair and let out a long exasperated sigh. "...I don't know, Elladan, maybe I'm getting concerned too soon. I suppose they've only just met again this morning, and it's still very early on but..." Elrond stared into open space for a moment, "...I've seen that look in Elrohir's eyes before. I know when he's taken a keen interest in someone."

Elladan now looking at the floor, nodded in agreement. "As you said, Ada, it's still very early to worry about this. Elrohir always had a soft spot for Lynwen when she was a child, and they were always very close. It's possible that he was just genuinely happy to see the child that he always adored all those years ago, and that there really is nothing more to it."

"I hope you're right, ion nin." Elrond smiled weakly at his son standing in front of him. "We shall just have to wait and see."

xxx

Elrohir leapt over the wall of the open-aired corridors, and into the gardens below. There was only one place he was heading for, and that was the top of the valley. It was a place he had always escaped to for most of his life. It offered a perfect aerial view of Rivendell, and all its beauty. And it also presented a spectacular view of the sunset beyond the valley, and into the horizon in the far distance.

As Elrohir walked up the hill of the valley and finally reached his favourite spot near the top, he stood there a moment looking out at his home below, a soft content sigh escaping his lips. He then sat down next to the tiny stream that gently trickled down the hillside to the river far below. The gentle sound the tiny stream offered, soothing to Elrohir's ears. He leaned back against a rock, and put his hands behind his head, looking out over the horizon waiting for the sun to set.

After lying there in silence for a while, he suddenly found himself thinking about Lynwen again. About the way she looked that morning. Yes, of course it was logical for her to have aged after twelve years, but it still didn't stop him being any less shocked by it. Shocked by her strange beauty and that womanly body she had developed. He then chuckled to himself as he realised that some things about her hadn't changed at all. Like her mad, unruly hair, and her nutty personality.

He remembered how he used to bring her up here sometimes when she was little, and how they'd watch the sun set together. Which would always be followed by who could spot the most shooting stars as they'd laid on their backs looking up at the night sky. Elrohir always letting her win, of course.

Elrohir had taken Lynwen under his wing from a very young age, as she seemed to find it difficult to make friends. He'd witnessed a few times how the elflings (young elves) would shun Lynwen when she'd tried to play with them, not wanting someone who was not like them to be in their circle of friends. It always upset him, and made him angry to see this, but his father had explained to him all those years ago that unfortunately for Lynwen, she would probably have to endure this sort of behaviour from elves for most of her life, for elves were notorious at being wary of developing close relationships with humans. Probably because of the fact that humans would always end up dying after such a 'small' number of years, and so it was just less painful for them to not get too close.

It suddenly made him feel very guilty for being away for the past twelve years. Remembering what Lynwen had said to him in his bedroom that morning, about how she'd cried for months after he'd left. He wondered how she'd faired in the years he'd been gone. Had she managed to make any friends? Had she even began courting someone?

This last thought sent a surge of jealously through Elrohir, which confused him greatly. How could he be jealous of the possibility that Lynwen, the scruffy, boisterous, tom-boy of a child, that he'd left behind years ago, could be courting someone else?

But thinking back to seeing her that morning standing at the foot of his bed, her slender figure so appealing, he knew that she wasn't a child anymore. No, she's grown into quite a stunning young woman, he thought to himself. "Could even pass for a Lady if she just kept her mouth shut." he laughed to himself.

"Do you always talk to yourself, Ro?" The question startled Elrohir from his thoughts, and he sat up suddenly to see Lynwen approaching him. She wasn't in her dark green dress anymore. She was wearing a pair of long black leggings, and a long white shirt that went half way down her thighs. Elrohir smiled to himself as he observed her clothing. She always did prefer to wear 'boys clothes' when she was a child, kicking up a fuss when Ada would insist she wear a dress. He suspected it was Ada who insisted on the dress she was wearing this morning, too!

But looking at her now, he thought she looked even more beautiful than she did this morning. The leggings, hugging the curve of her thighs, and the shirt hanging slightly loose around her body but with the top few buttons undone, showing her elegant neck and collarbone again. Her dark brown hair, tousled ,and hanging loosely around her face. The setting sun was reflecting off her face, illuminating her deep blue eyes. She wasn't a perfect, flawless beauty, not in the way elleths typically were, but she was stunning in a rough and rugged sort of way. He just couldn't take his eyes away from her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her a little abruptly, not quite knowing what else to say in his stunned 'deer in the headlights' disposition he'd suddenly found himself in.

"You're not the only one who escapes up here, Ro. I've come here almost every night of my life, thanks to you." She turned to face the horizon in front of her. "I love it up here! It's just so peaceful and quiet, with no one nagging you every five seconds!" She sat down next to Elrohir, and leant back, resting on her elbows, staring out at the view in front of them. Elrohir turned his head and looked down at her, a warm affectionate smile on his face.

She could sense him looking at her. "What?" she asked him, turning her head to stare at him as well.

"Nothing. It's just, you haven't actually changed much at all! You're still running off, gallivanting around the place. And I suspect you're still causing trouble, and adding years onto Ada's life as if he were mortal, otherwise, why would you be being 'nagged every five seconds'?" Elrohir was smiling broadly at her as he was saying this. His eyes glinting with that teasing sarcasm that he usually had.

"The same goes for you, too! You were late for your meeting with Ada this morning. And you're still escaping up here I see, also to escape the incessant nagging, I suspect?" Lynwen said, a one-sided smirk upon her face.

Elrohir laughed at this. "You still know me so well, little one."

Lynwen arched an eyebrow at him, "Ro, I'm seventeen, are you always going to be calling me that? I'm not little anymore."

Elrohir turned and looked at Lynwen once more, slowly taking in every feature of her face. Then he looked up into her blue eyes, gazing at her for a moment, "Aye, you're not little anymore, Lynwen. You've become a very beautiful young woman." Elrohir couldn't bring himself to look away from her.

Lynwen suddenly burst out laughing. A dirty, infectious laugh that set his insides alight with affection. She reached out one of her hands and pushed his shoulder, shoving him backwards slightly. "Shut up, Ro! You're starting to make me think you've turned soft on your travels!" she said, still laughing.

That gentle shove on his shoulder had stirred a reaction within Elrohir, and all he wanted was to be touched by her again, even if it was just another shove, or even a punch, he didn't care! And the way the setting sun was still reflecting off her face causing her skin to glow in orange and pink colours, emphasizing her full pink lips, just fuelled the feelings surging through his body at that moment.

"So tell me about your travels!" Lynwen brought him back to reality with a start. "Did you get to see anything exciting? Did you get into any dangers? Any fights? Well, that's a stupid question, I'm certain you must have gotten into some fights. You probably started them! Did you meet any interesting people? Tell me about the human lands? What are the human race like? Are they very different from elves? I suspect they probably are, I mean, I know I'm very different from you lot! Oooh! Did you see any dwarves?! I'd love to see a dwarf! I bet they look really cute! Although I've heard otherwise from some people, well only from elves, and what with that icy relationship you all have with dwarves, I suppose you're always going to have bad things to say about them. And what about ..."

Elrohir gently pressed a finger to Lynwen's lips to silence her, but just couldn't help laughing at her. She really hadn't changed at all. Well, her personality at least anyway.

"Lynwen, one question at a time, please!" he said, still laughing.

She smiled under his finger, looking at him a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry Ro, it's just that it's always so boring here, and I haven't really got anyone to talk to. And I'd love to travel one day, and experience the sights that you've been lucky enough to see. Go on an adventure, you know?"

Elrohir dropped his finger from her lips and looked at her affectionately. "Maybe you will, one day. Who knows what the future may bring."

She let out a long, deep sigh, and turned towards the horizon again. "I hope so, Ro. There's a big world out there just waiting to be explored, and I just hope I get the opportunity to see it."

They sat in silence for a few moments, watching the sun slowly sinking from the sky.

"So what have you been up to in the twelve years I've been gone?" he asked her, trying to distract himself from the feelings he was experiencing in her company.

Lynwen rolled her eyes and tutted. "Nothing. Just been studying, mostly. And Ada has recently instructed my hand maiden to teach me in the 'proper' ways of an elleth, or woman, in my case. So she's been teaching me how to sew, how to cook, and just how to make a good little wife for someone." She rolled her eyes again at that last comment.

Elrohir's head snapped up at her. "Is Ada planning to marry you off to someone?!"

"I'm not sure. I get the feeling he's planning something. He seems to be in a lot of contact with human lords of late, and is even trying to arrange a meeting with one of them, and with their son as well, I suppose! She tutted again.

Why was he feeling so jealous at this information she was providing him with? It was only Lynwen. That annoying little kid who would run and speak at a hundred miles per hour! The kid who would burst into his room early in the mornings scaring him half to death and waking him up. Well, nothing's changed there! he thought to himself. And sometimes, in the past, he'd even have an elleth in the bed with him from the night before! But Lynwen never seemed to notice anything untoward about that, still deciding to jump up and down on his bed until he'd gotten up!

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Lynwen." He surprised himself a little with his response, but couldn't stop himself from continuing. "You have to follow your heart. Do what makes you happy, and not what makes someone else happy."

She smiled at him, a look of appreciation on her face. "Thanks, Ro. And don't worry, I intend to!"

He knew she wasn't bluffing. Even as a child, she was very headstrong and wouldn't take instructions from others, lightly.

"But these are just things I over hear when I'm walking around sometimes, so I may be wrong about the whole thing, but I doubt that I am."

"You mean, these are things that you hear when you're purposely eaves dropping on other people's conversations?" Elrohir said, arching an eyebrow at her.

"I learnt from the best, Ro!" She smirked at him and gave him a little wink of appreciation.

He laughed at this, and laid back down on the grass, putting his hands behind his head. Lynwen followed suit, and laid down on her back next to him.

They completely lost track of the time up there on top of that valley. They'd spent the next few hours just talking and filling each other in on what each of them had been doing over the last twelve years. Elrohir explaining in detail the different sights he'd witnessed on the expedition, which really got Lynwen's attention. She was hanging on his every word, keen to hear more every time he'd finished talking.

The sun had set hours before, and they were now laying on their backs gazing up at the night sky, laughing and reminiscing about old times. Lynwen had moved to lay a little closer to Elrohir, complaining at how cold the night air had become. Elrohir felt himself flinch a little when Lynwen's body came into contact with his. She was laying as close as she could get to his body now, clearly unaware as to what her actions were doing to him. And after a few minutes of this close contact, Elrohir could stand no more and moved away from her slightly, turning onto his side. He was now propping his upper body up with his elbow, his head resting in the palm of his hand, looking down at her, she, still laying on her back.

The moonlight was now reflecting off her face, replacing the sunlight from before, giving her an eerie silver glow. It was mesmerising to see. Lynwen turned her head to look up at him, her eyes now reflecting the silver glow of the moon. Elrohir was transfixed by the sight before him.

He unknowingly reached out his free hand and cupped her cheek, gazing at her lovingly. Oh how he'd give anything to kiss those lips right now. Those soft, pink, full lips. Just to feel them against his own, to know what they taste like.

He found himself slowly leaning his face towards hers. Gently pulling her lips to his with the hand he had had cupping her cheek previously, but was now placed at the back of her head, supporting her as he was pulling her upper body off the ground towards him. She seemed to just allow him to bring her mouth to his, not refusing his actions at all.

His lips, now just a hair's breadth from hers, were softly being brushed with her warm, slow, steady breath. He could see her eyes were now closed and her face tilted up slightly, as if waiting for him to finally make contact with her. The moment was intense, nothing like he'd ever experienced before.

Then, the sudden realization as to what he was about to do, woke Elrohir up out of his lust-filled daze, and he pulled back from her quickly, dropping his hand from her head in the process. Lynwen didn't fall back on to the ground from his lack of support, luckily, as he had pulled her up into an almost sitting position during his attempt to kiss her. And she was now laying on her side, both of her hands on the ground in front her, propping her upper body up. Her eyes were now open and she was looking at him intently, a serious, shocked, and confused expression on her face.

Elrohir quickly looked away from her and stood up abruptly, brushing himself down. "I best get back to the house." he said, before quickly walking away, and back down the hill of the valley. "I'll see you at breakfast in the morning." he called back over his shoulder to her, before he turned again and hurried away down the hillside, mentally kicking himself for his actions.


	4. Desire

Chapter 4 - Desire

Lynwen woke up the following morning feeling utterly exhausted after finding it difficult to fall asleep the night before. She couldn't stop thinking about Elrohir, and what he was about to do. Was he really about to kiss her? Elrohir? The ellon (male elf) she'd always looked up to as an older brother? She couldn't deny that he was handsome, incredibly sexy, even! And she wasn't even sure that she would've denied him that kiss if he'd actually gone through with it.

Wait! What was she thinking?! Was she attracted to him?

Up until that intense moment last night where they'd almost kissed, she'd still seen him as a brother figure, completely comfortable and at ease in his company, despite the years they'd had apart. But that attempted kiss seemed to have awoken some passionate feelings towards him that she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

She dragged herself out of bed to get ready, dreading the moment she'd have to face him again at breakfast. She made her way into the small bathroom that was attached to her bedroom, and stumbled into the shower which was sourced from an underground spring.

She emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later wrapped in a towel, and sat at her vanity table. She attempted to tidy her hair with her fingers, knowing that a brush would just make it a hundred times worse!

Just thinking of Elrohir was causing her stomach to flutter in excitement. She sighed deeply, looking at herself in the large oval mirror that was attached to the back of her vanity table.

"He only arrived back the night before last. How could I suddenly be so attracted to him?" she said to herself, looking at the way her hair was obviously just going to do its own thing, regardless of how much she fiddled with it!

She reluctantly got dressed in a navy blue, long sleeved dress, that she found incredibly uncomfortable. She hated the way dresses always seemed to cling to her, digging into her armpits. And no matter how many times she'd had them adjusted and altered, they were always just so bloody uncomfortable! Why her father insisted on her wearing these damn things, was beyond her!

She made her way down the open-air corridors towards the dining room, and when she reached the door, she paused a moment. She needed to compose herself a little, get ready to face Elrohir again. And knowing that she was already late, she also needed to ready herself for a possible scolding from her father.

After taking a few deep breaths, Lynwen opened the dining room door with confidence, her head held up high a little. But after entering, she instantly felt relieved at the sight before her because, Elrohir was not there. Seated at the table was her father, Elladan, her sister Arwen, and her other brother, Estel. They all paused their eating of their breakfast to look up at her, her two brothers and her sister, all smirking at her. Her father was seated the furthest away at the head of the table, so he couldn't see the expressions on her siblings' faces. She knew they were trying not to laugh, eagerly awaiting the sarcastic comment that was guaranteed to be made by Elrond, at Lynwen's late arrival.

"Aah, Lynwen! Good morning. You've finally decided to get up out of bed, and join us!" was Elrond's smart remark as she made her way to the table. Hmm, that wasn't too bad, she thought to herself. She'd heard far worse from him than that, in the past.

"And did you see that reckless brother of yours, on your way here?" Elrond asked her, as she reached the edge of the table.

Lynwen knew he was referring to Elrohir, for he was now the only one missing from the breakfast table. She opened her mouth to deny any sightings of him, when... "I'm here, Ada."

Lynwen turned to see Elrohir closing the dining room door behind him, then walking towards the table. She suddenly felt herself feeling a little anxious as he was approaching the spot where she was standing. She quickly turned away from him and re-focused on the rest of her family seated in front of her. She sensed Elrohir had stopped, and was now stood right next to her.

"Good morning everyone" he addressed his family sat at the table.

He then, apprehensively turned to face Lynwen standing beside him, and looked at her a little awkwardly, "Good morning Lynwen." His voice was quite quiet now, his greeting sounding almost like a question.

Lynwen looked up at him, seeing a look of apprehension and nervousness on his face. His grey eyes boring into her, as if trying to establish what she was feeling.

"Good morning Elrohir." she said a little sheepishly, and quickly looked away from him again, not sure how to deal with these mixture of feelings that were suddenly rushing through her body.

"Are either of you going to sit down and join us?" was Elrond's question, which brought Elrohir and Lynwen's attention back to the present.

Breakfast lasted around half an hour, and consisted of mainly fruit and pastries. Lynwen made a conscious effort throughout the meal to look anywhere, and at anyone, but Elrohir. She could sense him looking at her from across the table sometimes, but she never once acknowledged him. She'd never felt this awkward and uncomfortable before in her life. Nor this confused! She knew that she found him attractive, but didn't know if she wanted to act on those feelings. Or maybe she wanted _him_ to act on those feelings, instead! All she knew was that she just felt too embarrassed, and so damn awkward to face him right now. She needed to get out of there as soon as possible and avoid him like the plague!

She was the first to excuse herself from the table, only to be stopped by her father.

"Lynwen, I need you to stay here for a few moments as I have some things I need to discuss with you."

Lynwen reluctantly sat back down in her chair, feeling Elrohir's eyes upon her once again

Then, after what seemed like a lifetime, Elrohir, along with the others, finally excused themselves leaving just Lynwen and Elrond seated at the table. Lynwen noticed Estel hesitantly brushing his hand against Arwen's arm as they left. She knew something was going on between the two of them, for they weren't doing a very good job of hiding it lately. And with Estel not being blood related to Arwen or the rest of the family, either, then why shouldn't they find a bit of happiness in each other, she thought to herself.

As the others closed the dining room door behind them, Elrond turned to Lynwen.

"Lynwen, I'd like to speak with you about the possibility of a marriage proposal from a very respectable young man, who is very keen to meet with you."

Lynwen looked up at her father with a shocked expression on her face. She'd suspected this was going to happen, but still, nothing could've prepared her for it.

"Ada, I'm not ready to marry! And I'm not going to marry some stranger I've never met before!" Her voice raised, somewhat considerably.

"Now now, Lynwen, calm down. You're eighteen next month, so you should be more than ready to start thinking about marriage. And I wouldn't consider just anyone, as a possible husband for you, unless I was completely satisfied that they would take good care of you."

"Ada, you can't be serious? You're really going to marry me off?" With so many questions and protests running through her mind at that moment, the only thing she could get her mouth to put together was, "but, why!?"

"I think it would be a good idea for you to live in a land where there are many humans, people you could relate to."

Lynwen's anger was beginning to rise. "But you're not forcing Estel to go and live in another kingdom! And he's human too!"

Elrond sighed. "Lynwen, Estel has made a life for himself up north, and he very rarely comes back here anymore. And even if he did, I would never force him to leave Imladris, just like I'm not forcing you."

Lynwen was silent for a moment, not quite understanding what was happening.

"You want me to leave?" came her question for him, her voice now very quiet.

Elrond's face softened with compassion at his daughter sat in front of him. He stood up and walked over to her, sitting himself down on the chair next to her. He took a hold of both of her hands, and looked at her with a hint of sorrow etched into his expression.

"Lynwen, of course I don't want you to leave. I'd love to have you here until the end of your days! And this will always be your home, you know that. But I believe that it's important for you to be with your own kind. To be with a human man who can care for you, grow old with you, and to love you as you so deserve."

Lynwen sat there in silence, feeling a little rejected. She'd always known that she was different from the elves living in Rivendell, never quite feeling as if she fitted in, or even belonged there. But despite this, it was still her home. She'd grown up there and had never travelled outside, so she didn't know any different. Plus her family were here. Ok, so they weren't her blood family, but they were the only family she'd ever had, and she loved them dearly. And they her. So why was she being sent away to some strange kingdom to marry a man she'd never met before?

"Lynwen?" Elrond had placed a hand onto her cheek and was looking at her with an anxious expression on his face. She looked up at him, meeting his old grey eyes, but remained silent.

"Lynwen, we're your family, and we love you, and you will always have a place here. But I've seen how difficult it's been for you over the years to make friends, and to feel a part of this place. And it breaks my heart to see you so alone. And I'm not asking you to marry right away. I've arranged for you to meet this young man first, after your birthday next month. And you will see for yourself that he's a very decent young man, and will make you a good husband."

Lynwen still sat in silence, not knowing how to respond. She supposed her father was right about her being with her own kind. And she had always found it quite difficult to mix with others in this place. But that didn't mean she was unhappy here! She loved her family, her home, but most of all, she loved being free! The thought of being tied down in a marriage scared her a little. But hearing her father's words, she thought that she'd at least meet this man first before making her mind up.

"Ok, Ada. I'll meet with him."

Elrond's face softened somewhat in relief.

"But know this, Ada. If after meeting him I feel that he isn't the one for me, then I will not marry him! Ok?" Her voice had become slightly more audible.

Elrond let out a defeated sigh at his daughter's strong determination. She'd always been like this, never doing anything she didn't want to do. But, he couldn't argue with her on this one. It was a big thing he was asking her to do.

"Ok, I think that's fair." Elrond managed a weak smile at her, and caressed her cheek one last time, a moment of silence falling between them.

"Ok. So you're finally excused from the table, Lynwen." He smiled at his last comment, and Lynwen gave him a weak smile in return. She stood up from her seat and made her way to the dining room door, leaving Elrond seated at the table, watching her walk away from him.

After she exiting the dining room and closed the door behind her, she leaned back against the wall outside, shutting her eyes, trying to fathom what it was she had just agreed to.

She jumped as a hand suddenly grabbed a hold of hers, waking her from her thoughts. She opened her eyes quickly to see who it was who had frightened her half to death, and found herself, regrettably, looking into the grey eyes of Elrohir. He was leaning out from behind the pillar that was opposite to where she was stood, his arm out-stretched to her across the open-air corridor.

"I need to speak with you." He said, his eyes almost pleading with her.

Great! She thought to herself. This is all I need! Her plan of avoiding him like the plague was not panning out very well so far.

But she looked at him and nodded her acceptance, allowing herself to be led away by him, his hand still keeping a firm grip on her own. Where he was taking her to, she didn't know. Presumably to somewhere a bit more quieter, and a bit less public.

He led her away from the main residences of the city, and into a quiet corner of one of the gardens, below. He stopped once they were next to the river, and safely hidden underneath the branches of a willow tree. He turned to look at her, letting go of her hand in the process.

"I... just want... I _need _to... apologise for my actions towards you last night." He was looking at her intently, and paused for a moment before continuing on. "And I'm sorry if I've now made you feel uncomfortable around me, for that was not my intention, at all."

He was staring straight into her eyes, anxiously awaiting her response. But when no response came, he took a deep breath and continued.

"Looking at you now, I can see that my actions last night have somewhat, disrupted, our once close friendship, and for that I deeply regret what I tried to do up on that valley." His face looked full of sorrow, and he slowly looked down towards the ground looking defeated before he continued. "And so I promise you, it will never happen again!"

That last comment stirred a sudden reaction within Lynwen. A reaction of...disappointment, maybe? Disappointed at his promise to never try to kiss her again? She surprised herself with her reaction, but she couldn't help it. To think that what almost happened up on the valley the night before, may never repeat itself, disappointed her immensely.

This sudden change in her mood must have been obvious to read, because Elrohir's head snapped back up and his face dropped somewhat, a look of surprise, and even hope, was now etched into his expression.

"That's if... " he suddenly spoke, searching her eyes, looking for some sort of confirmation before slowly continuing, ..."you never... want it to happen again?" He finished his sentence quietly, anticipation in his voice, and never taking his eyes off her.

Lynwen could feel her insides twisting with all the emotions that were rushing through her body at that moment. She was looking at the way his deep, grey eyes were boring into her, full of apprehension. The way a few strands of his long black hair had come loose from his ponytail, and were now hanging around his finely chiselled facial features, moving a little in the warm Spring breeze. The sudden urge to reach up and gently move those stray strands away from his face, caressing his soft smooth skin with her fingers in the process, was so strong, that she had to physically restrain her hand at her side.

She couldn't bring herself to speak. She knew for definite that she didn't want to deny him to ever attempt to kiss her again, but nor could she conjure up the courage to ask him to kiss her again.

Her heart started to pound as Elrohir took a couple of slow steps towards her, still not taking his eyes from hers. He was now stood directly in front of her, their bodies almost touching from the closeness. He slowly reached up his right hand, and gently placed it upon her cheek.

Lynwen's breathing had quickened to a rapid pace. Her chest noticeably rising up and down in fast movements, as she awaited his next move.

Elrohir began to lean his face towards hers, his eyes now closed, and the hand he had placed on her cheek, gently guiding her to him. Lynwen was struggling to get her breathing under control as their mouths were now so close, and almost touching, that she could feel his hot, steady breath, tickling her lips. She realised at that moment, that she really wanted this. She wanted this, so badly. She wanted, _him, _so badly!

"Elrohir?!" Both of them quickly pulled away from each other, and looked to where the call was coming from.

"Elrohir?!" The call sounded again.

Elrohir let out a deep sigh and turned back to look at Lynwen, a look of regret on his face. "Tis Elladan." he said, disappointingly. "I'd say he's come to fetch me to Ada's study, for we were supposed to meet there straight after breakfast."

Lynwen tried to hide her disappointment, but felt she wasn't doing a very good job. "Then you'd better hurry!" she said, trying to force a smile. "Late twice in one day! You're starting to make _me _look good, Ro!" she said with a half-hearted chuckle.

Elrohir's expression didn't change though, his eyes were still boring into hers. That look of regret still evident. Regret of having to leave her.

"Elrohir!" Elladan's call was louder this time, startling them both from their intense gaze.

Elrohir looked down at the ground and sighed deeply again. "I best go."

"Ok." was Lynwen's quiet response.

Elrohir looked back up, and stared at her for a few more moments. He then reached out to grasp her hand, bowing slightly before respectfully placing a soft kiss upon her fingers.

"I hope to see you later, little one." He said as he looked up at her and grinned at his use of her nickname. He then turned away, and swiftly made his way towards his brother's calls, leaving her stood under the branches of the willow.

Lynwen, after watching him disappear from sight, let out a deep breath that she hadn't realised she'd been holding in. She turned away from his direction, and slumped back against the bark of the willow tree, looking out towards the calm flow of the river before her. She couldn't stop the smile that was forcing itself across her face. She reached up her hand to her mouth, slowly touching her lips with her fingers as she remembered the sensation of his breath against them. Her body still tingling with desire. Desire to be touched by him again.

It was the most erotic moment of her life!

Well, until then, at least.


	5. Intense First Experiences

**_WARNING- This chapter contains some explicit sexual content._**

Chapter 5 - Intense First Experiences

"Will you pay attention! Look at the mess you've made of that crochet!"

Lynwen slowly came out of her daydream, and looked in the direction of her hand maiden, Anira, who was now glaring at Lynwen from her chair, opposite. Lynwen seemed to snap out of her daze in a panic, and quickly looked down at the crochet blanket on her lap that she had been attempting to make.

"You'll have to unpick that last part, and start it again! Honestly, Lynwen, you're just not with it today! You're too busy staring out of the window and daydreaming instead of concentrating!"

Lynwen couldn't deny Anira's accusations. It was true. She had been staring out of the window for most of the day. Thinking about her conversation with her father after breakfast, and what it was she had agreed to. But mainly thinking about that moment she'd shared with Elrohir afterwards. She just couldn't get it out of her mind! Couldn't get _him _out of her mind! How was it possible to feel such strong intense feelings for someone after only two days! It was madness! She took a deep breath, and mentally shook herself from her thoughts, and brought herself back to the present.

"I'm sorry, Anira. I didn't get much sleep last night. I suppose I'm just a little tired. Would you mind if I retired for the day and continued on with this tomorrow?"

Anira let out a defeated sigh, and dropped her hands into her lap. "Fine!" she said with a roll of her eyes. "But I want your full attention tomorrow, Lynwen!"

Lynwen got up and turned around to place her... well... what was supposed to be a crochet blanket, onto the chair where she had been sat moments before. She turned to face Anira with a slight bow of her head. "Le fael, Anira. (Thank you)" And with that, Lynwen left the craft room, and made her way to her bedroom.

Once she reached her bedroom door, she hurriedly opened it, practically running inside, and slammed the door closed behind her. She leaned back against her door closing her eyes, and took a deep, slow breath. After a few moments, she opened her eyes again while slowly exhaling. She had a lot going on in her head right now, and she just didn't know where to begin with it all. She walked over to her bed and heavily fell back onto it, laying on her back and staring at the ceiling.

She laid there just thinking for a long time, trying to sort through the many thoughts in her head.

She supposed her father's words made sense. She didn't really have any friends here. No one she could really talk to. Her childhood had been quite a lonely one after Elrohir had left for the expedition. She'd always been a very lively and talkative child, never finding it difficult to start conversations with others, but she always seemed to get shunned by the elves every time she approached them. But, fortunately, it was something that she never really took much notice of when she was growing up. Up until she was five, she had Elrohir keeping her busy most days, and after that, her father had somewhat taken her under his wing. Maybe it did make sense to agree to her father's wishes and marry this human man. At least she would be with her own kind and would probably not feel so lonely.

But despite this, the thought of leaving her home indefinitely, scared her a little. She'd miss her family so much! And now that Elrohir was back home, she felt even more inclined to stay.

She then found her thoughts drifting to Elrohir once more, and that moment they'd shared that morning. Her stomach started to flutter at the sheer thought of him. He was just so damn sexy! she thought to herself. What with his tall height, his slim but nicely toned body, his long black hair that contrasted beautifully against his pale skin, and his incredibly sexy smile that set his stunning eyes alight with passion and mischief, who could blame her for her sudden attraction towards him!

She thought it was so funny how her feelings towards him had changed so drastically since she was little. Back when she was a child, he was nothing more than an older 'brother' to her, and she loved him dearly in that respect, only. But now, it was something more. Much, much more!

Still laying there on her bed, Lynwen started to think back to those years as a young child, and the times she'd spent with Elrohir.

Elrohir had always made a lot time for her back then. Even taking her out for entire days! Whether it was just horse riding, picnics in the gardens, walking in the forest, or just sitting in their favourite spot on top of the valley, she always cherished every moment with him.

He'd always spoilt her a lot too, sneaking her chocolate and other treats that he'd stolen from the kitchens, or bringing her back little tokens from his patrols outside of Rivendell. He'd also taught her how to pull very effective pranks on Elladan and Estel! She smiled to herself as she remembered how they'd both break down laughing together as they watched the pranks unfold.

And he even taught her how to swim! She remembered how that took place during the summer before he left for the expedition. And thinking back, it was the most memorable summer of her life.

They'd been hit with a heat wave that summer, causing life in Rivendell to slow down completely. She remembered the elves, lazily lying around in the shade or remaining in their dwellings, the heat, draining them of any little energy they'd had left. Ada had become a little short tempered too, the heat affecting him greatly. But with him being the Lord of Rivendell, he wasn't allowed the luxury to hide away from the stifling heat like the other elves. Instead, he had to continue on with his work. But her, and Elrohir, seemed to be the only ones unaffected by the heat wave. They saw it as an opportunity to get out on their little trips more, without them being ruined by sudden downpours of rain.

During that summer, Elrohir would come to steal Lynwen away early in the mornings, much to the slight anger of her hand maiden, Anira, and would sometimes be gone with her until well after sun down. And they'd spent quite a lot of their time during those months, cooling off in the river, the high cliff edges of the valley creating a much needed shade. And they would even be joined by Elladan and Arwen, sometimes, the three siblings making a huge fuss of Lynwen, which made her feel so special at that young age.

And it was there in the river, during that summer, that Elrohir taught her how to swim. Her father had been dead set against it, saying she was too young and that it was too dangerous. But with Elrohir being the way he was, chose to ignore his father's wishes and took Lynwen swimming in the river, anyway. And it didn't take her long to learn. And in no time at all, she was able to keep herself afloat, and swim (well, sort of), without any assistance.

She found herself smiling to herself again as she remembered the way Elrohir's deep, hearty laugh used to echo around the valley surrounding them, as he would watch her kicking her legs like crazy, vast amounts of water splashing everywhere, in her attempt to swim unassisted.

She truly loved spending time with Elrohir back when she was a child. She was always searching for him if he hadn't come to collect her, and when she did find him, she'd be hanging around him all day, probably just making a nuisance of herself! Especially when sometimes, after she'd managed to hunt him down, she'd find him with an elleth in a secluded corner somewhere, both of them probably hoping for a bit of privacy! But Lynwen was so young and innocent to pick up on something like that, that she never hesitated in promptly seating herself between the two of them, and talking their ears off!

But now, as she lay there on her bed, she felt a little embarrassed at this last memory, for now being seventeen and a lot more educated, she knew what it was that Elrohir, and his random elleths, were hoping to do before she'd come along, uninvited, and innocently put a stop to their plans!

She also started to feel a little jealous as she started to remember many occasions where she'd found Elrohir with an elleth.

And she could now feel herself turning red with embarrassment as she remembered on some occasions when she'd gone into his bedroom in the mornings to wake him up, that there would sometimes be an elleth in his bed lying next to him! At the time it didn't mean anything to her. But now, she knew exactly why those elleths had been there. And she could only imagine what it was that they must have gotten up to the night before! Because, it was something that she now found herself imagining, and wanting, to take place between him, and herself...

"Ok! I need to get some air!" Lynwen said out loud, shocking herself with that last thought.

She jumped up off the bed, and left her room in a hurry.

As she got outside, she was shocked to find that it was already dark. She wondered how long, and how intensely, she had been lying on her bed, sifting through her thoughts, that she hadn't even noticed the daylight fading through her bedroom window.

She stood there at the foot of the stone steps that led down into the gardens below, and looked up unto the night sky. She wondered if Elrohir was doing the same thing up on top of the valley... Why couldn't she get him out of her head?!

She knew that she needed to unleash some energy, for being stuck indoors all day with Anira was just so suffocating! So she headed for the practice field, knowing that, however incredibly bad she was at it, releasing some arrows from her bow would help her to unload some of her problems.

She approached the practice field to find it completely deserted. She realised then that it was probably later than she had initially thought. The moonlight was casting enough of a glow on the area for her to see the targets up ahead, and so, after retrieving her bow from the storage area, she started firing arrows one after the other. She got such a thrill from doing this, and she found that her tension was already starting to ease a bit.

None of her arrows landed anywhere near the targets up ahead, and so it was a painstaking job when she had to make her way up to the other end of the field and spend ages trying to find them all! And the lack of light didn't help, either. She managed to find all of her arrows eventually, one she actually found stuck in to the _back _of the target! "How on Earth did I manage that!?" she muttered, but was actually quite impressed with herself to be able to achieve such an impossibility!

She slowly made her way back to the firing point back down the opposite end of the field, her arrows in her hand. When she reached the firing point, she turned back around and held up her bow, notching another arrow. She focused her eyes on the target up ahead, looking straight down the length of her arrow, concentrating intently.

"Your positioning is all wrong."

She felt her insides twist at hearing the deep, smooth voice of Elrohir. She turned her head to see him leaning against a nearby tree, staring at her.

"How long have you been standing there?" She said, a little taken aback by his unexpected appearance.

"Long enough to see that you're probably the worst archer I've ever seen in my, over two and a half thousand years of life!" He said smugly, a little smirk evident on his face.

Lynwen couldn't help but laugh at his comment.

"Has no one ever taken the time to train you?" he said a bit more seriously, his brow a little furrowed.

"Well, Ada instructed Glorfindel to train me up on archery, which has to be around five years ago now..." Lynwen said, her eyes looking upwards as she was thinking back. "...but after six months of intense training, and still no improvement in my performance, Glorfindel threw his hands up in defeat, and said that he didn't have the time to be training monkeys!"

Both Elrohir, and Lynwen burst out laughing at this! Both of them taking joy in hearing the other, laugh.

Elrohir left the tree he'd been leaning against, and was now walking towards her.

"Aye, I can imagine Glorfindel saying that!" he said, still laughing. "He's never been one for patience. You did well to get six months out of him!" he said, now standing to the side of Lynwen.

A sudden awkward silence fell between them after their laughter had died down, both of them still looking into each others eyes. Elrohir's expression had changed from the happy one it was moments before, to a look of concern. Lynwen, feeling her heart pound from his intense stare, quickly broke eye contact with him, and looked back out to the targets in front of her. But she could sense Elrohir's gaze was still upon her from his close position to her right.

"I missed you up on the valley, tonight." He said breaking the silence, his voice now quiet, and sounding a little regretful. "I hope that I have not made things worse between us after this morning, and that you're now avoiding me."

Lynwen looked back up at him, her heart aching at the sorrowful expression on his face. They stared at each other for a few moments before Lynwen replied, "I'm not avoiding you, Ro. I could never do that, for I love being in your company more than anything,..." She took a deep breath, before slowly continuing, "even more so..." she looked down at her feet now, trying to find the courage to continue on, "...even more so, after this morning." She brought her head back up to look at him now, and found herself looking at a very relieved-looking, Elrohir.

"That makes me very glad." He said, with a big smile on his face.

That smile of his, made Lynwen's stomach do somersaults! He had the most sexy smile that she'd ever seen in her life! And the way his smile caused slight laughter lines to form around his mouth, just made her want to reach up and softly caress his face. She felt herself going a little red at this thought, and quickly looked away from him again, re-notching the arrow in her bow.

"Let me help you." Elrohir said, positioning himself behind her, bringing his arms around her body and resting them on her hands.

Lynwen stiffened a little at his sudden contact, her heart now racing. She really hoped that he couldn't feel the pace of her heart-beat from his intimate position behind her!

"You need to separate your feet a little more" he brought his foot between hers, and kicked her feet apart a little. "And you need to twist your upper body a little." He placed his hands just above her hips, and gently twisted her upper body, slightly.

He had now brought his head down so that his chin was almost resting on her shoulder, and his lips were right next to her ear.

"And you need to bring your shoulder back like this" he brought up his right hand, and gently placed it upon her right shoulder, pulling it back slightly, his left hand still firmly placed on the left side of her body.

The closeness of his lips next to her ear, and the way his hands were placed upon her body, was causing Lynwen's blood to soar through her at a hundred miles per hour, making her feel a little light headed in the process. She unknowingly leant back into his chest, and closed her eyes, slowly inhaling his scent. A scent that was a mixture of the masculine bathing soaps that he had obviously used that day, and his own natural scent that she couldn't associate with anything in particular, but all she knew was that it was causing her insides to ignite with passion.

Her breathing had increased slightly, now, as she could feel his warm body pressed up against her from behind.

She suddenly felt Elrohir brush her hair away from her shoulder, followed by the feeling of his hot breath on the right side of her neck. She knew instantly, that his lips were about to make contact with her skin. And the anticipation of waiting for his next move, was sending her wild with elation! With her eyes still closed, she gently tilted her head to the left to allow him more easy access to her neck.

The moment Elrohir's lips softly began to kiss her sensitive skin, Lynwen felt herself melting back into his strong frame, her breathing now becoming more rapid.

His slow, sensual kisses from the base of her ear, and down the length of her neck, was so erotic, that she felt the area between her legs beginning to react. She'd never felt anything like this before, and she never wanted him to stop!

His right hand was still positioned on her shoulder, his fingers now gently fingering the neckline of her dress at the base of her neck, while still placing feather light kisses on her skin.

The pure pleasure that Lynwen was feeling at Elrohir's kisses, caused a soft moan to escape her lips, as she relished in the slow-paced, sensual moment that Elrohir was inflicting on her.

Lynwen gasped loudly at the sudden sound of her dress being torn. Her eyes snapping open, she quickly looked to her right to see that Elrohir was gently kissing her now, very exposed, shoulder. She could see that the neckline of her dress was ripped open, and was now hanging off her right arm.

She was so shocked by the contrast in his actions, what with him being so gentle and caressing one second, and then grabbing a hold of the neckline of her dress and violently tearing it open, the next!

But she wasn't frightened by his extreme actions. She was actually incredibly turned on by it!

She moaned a little louder this time as Elrohir's hand moved from her shoulder, and slid into the 'new opening' of her dress, gently taking a hold of her left breast. He continued with his slow, sensual kisses on her shoulder, while his hand was now massaging her breast, fingering her erect nipple in the process. Lynwen leaned her head back to rest upon his shoulder, her eyes closed once again as she let out a soft gasp of pleasure. She was completely lost in the moment, relishing in every feeling throughout her body, that his touches were creating.

But she was abruptly brought back from her euphoria, by the sudden feeling of something hard pressed up against her behind. Although she had never experienced sex, herself, she knew what it entailed. And she knew that what she was feeling right now, was Elrohir's hard erection.

It shocked, and scared her enough to suddenly pull away from him, and move to stand a few feet away, frantically holding up her torn dress as she looked at him.

"Lynwen, I'm sorry... I thought... I thought it was what you wanted." Elrohir looked very apprehensive, and even a little worried, as he looked at Lynwen, searching her eyes for an answer.

"It was... it _is_..." Lynwen answered, but was still looking at him with a shocked expression upon her face.

"...I'm sorry Elrohir, I have to go." She said, before quickly walking away from him and back towards the house, praying that she wouldn't bump into someone on her way to her bedroom, not with the way her dress must have looked right now!

She glanced back momentarily to see Elrohir completely unmoved, still standing in the same spot she had left him in, but his head and shoulders were now stooped forward, and he was looking down at the ground looking crushed. She instantly felt guilty for leaving him the way that she did. But although she had enjoyed every second of it, she couldn't help feeling a little scared when she'd felt his hardness pressed up against her.

She regretfully turned away from his direction, and continued to quickly make her way back to her bedroom.

She laid in her bed for a long time that night just thinking about it. And after she got over her initial shock of it all, she found herself re-living that amazing experience over and over again. She couldn't stop this warm, tingling feeling, to surface between her legs every time she remembered specific moments from it! Her body was now aching to experience every single part of it again! His soft kneading of her breast, his tender kisses on her skin, even the aggression he had showed when he tore her dress open! All of it! She wanted all of it to happen again!

The feeling of being a bit scared at the end when she had unexpectedly felt his erection, was now overshadowed by her intense need to be touched by him. It excited her so much to think of him repeating those things that he'd done just a few hours before, that she felt herself getting really turned on!

She couldn't handle it anymore! She knew what she needed to do.

So she got up off her bed, and quietly opened her bedroom door. She leant her head out and looked up and down the corridor to check that no one was around, before leaving her room and quietly closing the door behind her. She tip-toed up the corridor, careful not to attract any unwanted attention, and swiftly made her way to Elrohir's bedroom.


	6. Joining

_**WARNING- This chapter contains explicit sexual content.**_

_Apologies if there are any errors with the Sindarin used throughout this story. Please feel free to correct me if it's wrong._

Chapter 6 - Joining

Elrohir had made his way back to his bedroom not long after Lynwen had walked away from him. He didn't want to see or have to talk to anyone. He just needed to be alone.

He'd spent the last few hours sitting in the armchair in the corner of his bedroom, attempting to read a book. But none of the words were sinking in. He just couldn't stop thinking about Lynwen, trying to work out what it was that she wanted. He knew for sure, that he wanted her. But did she want him? She seemed to have been giving off all the right signals this morning and, especially, tonight! So why did she reject him? Maybe he'd come on too strong, he thought to himself. But thinking back, she seemed to be really enjoying it. He shuddered with delight a little, as he remembered her soft moans escaping from those luscious lips of hers. Lips that he'd still not gotten the chance to taste.

Elrohir set the book down on the small table next to the armchair, and put his head in his hands while sighing deeply. He was trying to think of a time when he'd wanted someone more! More than the way he wanted Lynwen right now.

Elrohir enjoyed sex, a lot! And he'd never really had any problems in attracting the opposite sex before. And then getting those women into his bed was always such an easy task. It was something that he never really had to work very hard at, as they nearly always volunteered. And Elrohir had never really had any problems in sleeping with these women, and not developing some sort of a relationship with them afterwards. To him, it was just sex, and nothing more.

But these urges he had quickly developed for Lynwen over the past couple of days, felt different. They seemed to go a lot deeper than any urges he had ever felt for any other female in the past.

All, except one, that is. And she was his first, and only love, Raina.

Raina was an elf from Rivendell, who Elrohir fell in love with when he was only around five hundred years old. They had a whirlwind romance that had lasted for quite a few years. And they had even planned to bind themselves to each other. But it all ended with Elrohir's heart almost breaking, as she chose to depart for the Undying Lands, instead.

It was after this relationship with Raina had ended, that Elrohir became the way he was now. Different women going in and out of his bed chambers, and never committing himself to anyone for fear of being hurt again. So why was he now feeling these intense emotions towards Lynwen? Maybe it was the fact that they had a bit of a history, a bit of depth to their relationship, which in turn, may cause his feelings towards her to run a lot more deeply than usual.

He lifted his head up from his hands and stood up from the chair, walking over to his bed. He decided that maybe the best thing to do was to try to get some sleep to help clear his head a little. And hopefully give Lynwen enough time to decide what it was she wanted.

He took off his shirt and breeches, and tossed them untidily on to the armchair. He picked out a pair of sand-coloured leggings from his draw and put them on deciding, as usual, that they were all that were necessary to wear for a comfortable night's sleep.

As he walked over to blow out the candles that were illuminating his room, he heard a little quiet knock on his bedroom door. Knowing how late it was now, he half thought that he may have imagined it. But before he could question himself, the quiet, now rapid, knock sounded again.

"Come in?" Elrohir's answer was a mixture of a command, and a question. A question as to who on Earth could be knocking on his bedroom door at this time of night.

His question was immediately answered when he saw Lynwen hurrying inside his room, taking one last glance up and down the corridor before she quickly closed the door behind her. She was now leaning back against his bedroom door, looking at him as he stood on the opposite side of the room.

He couldn't hide his shocked expression at seeing her, for she was the last person he expected it to be! He could only stand there looking at her, with her looking right back at him.

Her hair looked even messier than usual, but he liked it. He liked the way it chaotically twisted and turned in all sorts of directions, and untidily hung about her face, creating her striking eyes and cheek bones to stand out even more. She was wearing a white, long-sleeved, loose nightdress that went right down to her ankles. It was very unflattering, he thought to himself, but it just made him even more eager to find out what was hidden underneath it.

Lynwen opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again after realising she didn't actually know what she wanted to say. She noticed how Elrohir hadn't moved an inch. He was stood completely still at the opposite end of the room, looking at her intently. It was thrilling to see him the way he looked at this moment, she thought to herself. His jet-black hair was now free from its earlier ponytail, and was now hanging freely around his softly chiselled face, and cascading over his slender, bare, muscular shoulders. Moving her eyes downwards, she hungrily took in his smooth, naked chest that was free of any hair, and his subtlety toned abdomen. Her eyes dropped even lower to his extremely tight leggings, which, she now noticed, were the only item of clothing he was wearing at this moment. She studied how the leggings seemed to cling to every muscle in his legs, some of which, she could see, were slightly flexed. This was probably due to the standing position he'd suddenly frozen himself into. And then, she felt her eyes being drawn to his bulge. With those leggings not leaving much to the imagination, she couldn't help but notice how big it looked! She suddenly felt herself becoming a little scared again as she remembered the feel of it on her behind earlier, realising that it must have been twice the size than it was right now!

"Lynwen?" Elrohir's soft voice broke the silence between them. She brought her head up to make eye-contact with him again.

"Lynwen, what are you doing here?" he gently asked her, after he had gotten no response from her before.

"I... I just wanted to... I needed to... I, I don't know." She finally said, still looking directly into his eyes.

Elrohir dropped his eye contact with her while sighing deeply, his fingers now running through his hair. "Lynwen, I'm sorry again for earlier. I honestly thought it was what you wanted, and I..."

"It is what I want!" Lynwen cut him off mid-sentence. Her sudden, unexpected words, causing Elrohir's head to snap back up to look at her. His expression was a mixture of shock and hope. His eyes now boring right into hers as if he was unsure he'd heard her correctly.

"It is what I want, Elrohir. _You_, are what I want." Lynwen said a bit quieter now, but her voice sounding confident, and very sure.

Elrohir continued to stare at her for a few moments, his expression unchanged, his body unmoved. Lynwen was finding it difficult to work out what it was he was thinking. Or maybe he was just too stunned to think right now! She suddenly started to regret what she had just admitted to him.

Then, without warning, he suddenly strode across the room in only a couple of fast-paced strides, and embraced her in a strong, passionate kiss. The force of which, knocked Lynwen back a little, but Elrohir's firm grip kept her upright. His hands were placed on either side of her head, his fingers tangled in her hair, as they both melted into each other. Their mouths were fighting against one another's for dominance, both of them desperate to finally kiss the other. They broke apart after a few moments, both of them gasping for air.

Elrohir still had his fingers tangled in her hair, as he brought down his forehead to rest against hers, his eyes closed as he rapidly breathed in every essence of her.

"Lynwen?" Elrohir opened his eyes now to look at her, their foreheads still resting against each other. "Are you absolutely certain this is what you want?" He asked her, his breathing still a little ragged.

"More than anything!" she replied softly, a big smile spread across her face.

That was all Elrohir needed to hear. A truly, genuinely happy, smile broke out on his face before he slowly leaned back down to capture her lips with his, once more. He kissed her gently now, one of his hands running through her hair to support the back of her head as she melted backwards. His other hand slowly moved down her arm until he reached her hand, affectionately entwining his fingers with hers.

Elrohir's tongue was now softly pushing against her lips, respectfully asking for entry into her mouth. Lynwen obeyed, immediately opening her mouth for him as his tongue met with hers. Both of them now passionately kissing each other, their hunger for the other very apparent, as their mouths were open, lips firmly pressed up against each other's, and their tongues moving in and out of the other's mouth.

Lynwen brought up her free hand and placed it upon the side of his face, stroking his smooth, silky skin with her fingertips. Her hand then moved up to his ear as she eagerly explored the elven shape of it, gently stroking her finger over the pointed tip.

At Lynwen's gentle caressing of his ear, Elrohir's hands suddenly made their way down to Lynwen's behind unexpectedly, and abruptly, lifting her up, causing her to gasp in her surprise, her legs now wrapped around his waist. Lynwen leaned down to resume their kissing immediately afterwards, Elrohir's left arm holding her up, while his right hand was back up on the side of her face, fingering her tousled hair.

Elrohir turned around and walked them both over to his bed, their lips still not leaving each other. As his knees came into contact with the edge of his bed, he slowly bent forward and lowered Lynwen down onto the cream-coloured, soft cotton sheets, before eagerly crawling on top of her, still kissing her passionately. Using one of his hands to support his weight, he tentatively glided the other down the side of Lynwen's body until he reached the hem of her nightdress, slowly sliding his hand underneath to caress the soft skin of her thigh.

Lynwen shuddered slightly with delight from his tender touch, and began to kiss Elrohir with much more enthusiasm and force.

After a couple of minutes of hungrily kissing each other, Elrohir slowly pulled away from her and sat back on his heels, gazing down at her still lying on the bed. Lynwen could clearly see the lust and desire in his eyes as he stared down at her from his new position above her. But she could also see a look of admiration in those deep grey eyes of his. It sent shivers down her spine as she found herself readily awaiting his next move.

Elrohir, not breaking his eye contact with Lynwen, placed his hands on either side of her legs, and slowly began to push up her nightdress, revealing more and more of her smooth legs to him the further he pushed the hem upwards. As he pushed it up to the tops of her thighs, Lynwen, without having to be instructed or encouraged, lifted her behind up off the bed a little to allow him to push the nightdress even further up her body. He stopped once the hem of the nightdress had reached her stomach, and suddenly found that his penis had grown very quickly at the sight of Lynwen's naked, lower half, lying before him. Her flat stomach, rapidly rising up and down with her erratic breathing, the curve of her hips connected to those smooth, creamy legs of hers. And then, there was what was between her legs. The area that he longed to see the most. He felt his hard shaft throbbing in his leggings as he gazed down at that area, and he gently pushed Lynwen's legs open a bit more so that he could get a better look at her. She was so beautiful, so desirable, and he needed her now!

He quickly reached down to take a hold of the hem, and removed her nightdress completely, slipping it over her head as she sat up slightly to assist him. Her naked form fell back down onto the bed, her perfectly rounded naked breasts momentarily moving with her motion. He lowered himself back down on top of her, tenderly taking the tip of one of her breasts into his mouth, his hard arousal pressed up against the space between her legs. This incited a long, drawn-out moan from Lynwen, as she arched her back off the bed, pushing her breasts into him.

Elrohir couldn't wait any longer. His leggings were now so tight from his erection straining the fabric, that it was almost painful! And so he stood up to promptly remove them, finally freeing his restrained member.

Lynwen couldn't hide her shocked expression at seeing his extremely large elf-hood as it sprang out of the waistband of his leggings. Elrohir noticed her uneasy expression, and glanced down to where she was staring. He couldn't help a slight smile to cross his face as he realised what it was she was looking at.

"It's ok, Lynwen."

She tore her eyes away from his lower half, and met his gaze, her expression still looking a little shocked, and worried.

"Don't be frightened." He leant back down on top of her now, his elbows supporting his weight, and he started to gently stroke her face. "You may feel a slight pain at the start, which is normal for your first time. But very soon afterwards, it will feel highly pleasurable, I promise you." His right hand was now stroking the hair back off her forehead, as he looked into her eyes, affectionately.

Her expression relaxed slightly, as she allowed herself to be kissed by him again. She soon found herself melting from the passionate way his tongue was inserting itself in and out of her mouth, one of his hands now gently kneading her breast. She felt her legs relax, and slowly allowed her knees to fall apart, creating enough room for Elrohir to get closer. She moaned as she felt his now, unrestrained member, touching her intimately.

Elrohir could feel she was ready, and so he re-positioned his hips slightly, and slowly started to make contact. He let out a long deep sigh of relief as the tip of his hard shaft began to enter her, his eyes now closed. But he suddenly felt her tense underneath him, and found that he was unable to enter her further, as if Lynwen was somehow resisting him. He looked back down at her and could see that she had her eyes tightly closed, her face looking a little scared again.

"Lynwen?" He called, quietly.

"Mmmm?" She answered, her eyes still shut tight.

"Lynwen. Look at me." Elrohir demanded softly. He had stopped his attempt to enter her, being much more concerned with her well-being at that moment.

She squinted her eyes open and glanced up at him, and could see that he was looking at her with such concern and worry etched into his face.

"Lynwen. Are you certain this is what you want?"

"Yes!" Her answer was immediate. She knew. She didn't even have to think about it.

Elrohir couldn't help but chuckle a little at her rapid response. He now placed a hand upon the side of her face, gently stroking her skin with his fingers. "Then you're going to have to relax a little if you want us to do this." He placed a gentle kiss on her mouth. "Stop resisting me, baineth (beautiful), and trust me" he breathed against her lips.

Lynwen smiled and nodded her acceptance. She trusted Elrohir more than anyone else in her life. And so she found herself relaxing underneath him.

Elrohir, while placing soft kisses on her neck, could feel the tension leaving her body. So, after a few more moments, he could feel she was ready, once again. He gently started to insert himself into her, never taking his lips off of hers. He could feel that she was now completely relaxed, and so after a couple of gentle thrusts, his shaft finally sank deep inside her, burying itself to the hilt.

Lynwen cried out at this intrusion, and Elrohir knew that it was a cry of pain. And so, still fully sheathed inside her, he remained completely still, not moving an inch, allowing her body to adjust to this new experience. He could feel her incredibly tight inner muscles squeezing him intensely where her body was reacting and adjusting to his size. He closed his eyes while dropping his head, and let out a long, shuddered breath, trying so hard to resist the urge to start thrusting. His hard shaft, aching for movement. But he needed to know that Lynwen was ready before he'd even consider it.

Then, after about a minute, Lynwen's face softened and she outstretched her arms across the bed while arching her back slightly, her head tilting back into the pillows. And Elrohir knew it was his cue to start moving after she then let out a loud, quivering moan, her eyes rolling back into her head until she gently closed them.

Still using his elbows to support his weight, he slowly withdrew his hard shaft to the tip, before tenderly pushing it back in, making Lynwen moan every time he did so. He was relishing in her still very tight, inner muscles gripping his shaft, hard, bringing him very close to the edge. He threw his head back in pure euphoria, deep slow grunts escaping his lips with every pumping action he made.

Lynwen had never felt anything so amazing in all her life. She could never have imagined how good this would feel. Feeling Elrohir, buried deep within her, was truly mind-blowing. She opened her eyes to see that his face was now contorted with the pleasure he was feeling, his eyes firmly closed. His long hair, which was hanging down in front of him almost touching Lynwen's face, was swaying back and forth with every thrust he made. She felt the extremely pleasurable feeling within her suddenly intensify without warning, and found herself fighting it.

Elrohir was so close now. He could feel Lynwen's body reacting, and he knew that she was close too. He opened his eyes to see that hers were closed, and a deep, concentrated expression was upon her face. She appeared to be resisting her climax.

"Lynwen, let go. Join with me and enjoy it." He said through ragged breaths.

She instantly relaxed again. And within seconds, he felt her body begin to shudder, her inner muscles retracting over his erect shaft, quickly bringing him to his own, explosive climax. They both cried out in unison, their bodies instinctively arching backwards in the process. Elrohir embracing her tightly in his arms seconds later, their bodies violently shaking against each other.

They stayed, clinging on to each other, for a few minutes afterwards, allowing themselves to regain their strengths. Elrohir slowly lifted himself up from Lynwen's body, allowing his hands to take his weight, and gazed down at her.

"Are you ok?" He asked her, his voice quite weak.

Lynwen couldn't contain her smile, and even started laughing. "Yes, I'm ok! That was amazing, Ro! "

Elrohir let out a soft laugh at hearing her enthusiasm. That smile of his, causing Lynwen to grab him fiercely, kissing him hard as she flipped him over on his back. The sudden action surprising Elrohir, as he now looked up at her from his new position on the bed, her straddling his hips above him.

"And I plan on doing it again!" She said, before leaning down to tenderly place her lips upon his.


	7. Forgotten Promises

_Some mild sexual references in this chapter. And again, feel free to correct me if the Sindarin is incorrect._

Chapter 7- Forgotten Promises

The morning sunlight was beaming in through the bedroom window, casting bright yellow colours on the bed. Elrohir had been awake for a while, laying on his side, his upper body being supported by his elbow as he rested his head in the palm of his hand. He was staring down at Lynwen who was still asleep, lying on her back next to him. She was still naked after their antics the night before, the blanket covering her up as far as her chest, her freckle-covered shoulders still exposed to him as she lay there with her arms extended above her head. The sunlight was illuminating off of her, causing her skin to glow. He was transfixed by the sight before him, not being able to stop himself smiling as he continued to stare at her.

Lynwen began to stir from her sleep, suddenly aware of the sunlight illuminating the room. She slowly opened her eyes and immediately had to shut them again as she felt as if the bright light had almost blinded her! She removed one of her arms from above her head and placed it across her face, covering her eyes with her forearm. She couldn't prevent the disappointed groan leaving her mouth at the thought that it was morning already, and knowing that she had another mind-numbingly boring day ahead of her with Anira. She felt so tired, feeling as if she hadn't managed to sleep much last night, and rolled over onto her side, pulling the blanket up over her shoulders.

Then, the surprising realisation that she was naked under that blanket, hit her suddenly. Her eyes snapped open, and she unexpectedly saw Elrohir looking down at her from his position next to her, a big grin upon his face.

"Good morning, little one." he said.

It only took a second, but the memories of the night before suddenly came flooding back to Lynwen. She looked around just to make sure she wasn't dreaming, but no, it was definitely Elrohir's bed that she was lying in, naked!

She looked back up at him, blushing a little as she did so.

"Good morning, Ro." she said while trying to pull more of the blanket towards her, to cover herself.

"You weren't so shy last night." he said, grinning at her even more.

This made Lynwen blush even more, but it also made her smile. Smile at the wonderful memories from the night before.

They'd made love a further three times last night, both of them not falling asleep until the early hours. Elrohir had been so slow and so sensual throughout the night, but by the fourth time they did it, he'd gotten a bit more physical. And so she suspected that the first three times had been for her benefit, but that usually, he probably liked it rough! She didn't mind that though. She'd actually found it quite thrilling that last time they did it, when he'd suddenly, without warning, rolled her over and pinned her down on her stomach, taking her quite aggressively from behind.

"You look lost in thought." he said while still staring at her, and now bringing up his free hand to stroke her hair away from her face. "Did you sleep well, little one?"

Lynwen looked up at him again, and then to the hand that was fingering her hair. She suddenly felt a bit awkward and a little embarrassed, fully aware that she was still completely naked under the blanket. "Yes, I did, thank you. And you?"

Elrohir couldn't help laughing at her. "Lynwen, you can drop the formalities with me. They're really not necessary after what we got up to last night!" he said, still laughing.

This actually made Lynwen laugh, too, suddenly feeling a little more relaxed in her current situation. This laugh of hers, seemed to do something to Elrohir. His expression changed drastically from the soft, affectionate one it was a few moments ago, to one of pure lust-filled determination. He leaned down suddenly and captured her lips in a forceful kiss. It took Lynwen by surprise, and when his tongue was then begging for entrance into her mouth, she suddenly became very aware that she hadn't had a chance to brush her teeth yet! And now this incredibly sexy guy, was trying to force his tongue into her mouth!

Lynwen pulled away from him, and quickly scrambled out of the bed keeping a firm grip on the blanket, ensuring it was still covering her. But in removing the blanket from the bed, meant she had also removed it from Elrohir, who was now lying on the bed completely stark naked! He didn't seem to care though. He just used his elbow to support his upper body again, and rested his head in his hand, openly exposing himself to her, the earlier grin now back on his face.

"I need to go back to my room." Lynwen said. "Anira will come for me soon, and if she discovers I'm..."

"Forget Anira." Elrohir interrupted her. "You're not going anywhere today, baineth. You're staying right here with me." Elrohir's eyes were now flashing with the usual mischief.

"But... but, I need some of my things." Lynwen said a little panicked. She desperately wanted to be in that bed with him again, but she could only imagine how bad she must have looked, and smelled!

"And I need to shower, and..."

"You can shower here." He had cut her off again. "And maybe I could even join you." Elrohir winked at her and was smiling cheekily, now.

Lynwen couldn't help but to laugh at his naughty suggestion. She loved how he was just laying there completely naked, without a care in the world.

"Tell me what you need, and I'll go and get them for you." he said as he was getting up off the bed and walking over to the armchair, that he'd messily thrown his clothes onto the night before.

He started putting on his breeches when a knock sounded on the bedroom door. Lynwen jumped at the noise, and looked at Elrohir in sheer panic. Elrohir finished buttoning up the front of his breeches and placed his index finger onto his mouth, signalling to Lynwen to keep quiet.

The knock sounded again, followed by Elladan's voice. "Elrohir, I know you're in there. Ada's really annoyed that you didn't show up for breakfast, and he's waiting for us in his study, now."

Lynwen realised at that point that it was obviously later than she had originally thought, and knew that not only had _she_ also missed breakfast, but that Anira had probably already discovered that she wasn't in her bedroom, and was probably looking for her right now.

Elrohir sighed and let his head drop. He clearly wasn't going to be allowed to stick to his original plans of having his wicked way with Lynwen all day long. He gazed up at Lynwen looking incredibly disappointed. She was still stood at the other side of his bed, continuing to hold the blanket around her naked body, and looking anxious.

Then, without warning, Elrohir's bedroom door suddenly opened and in strode Elladan. Lynwen gasped and clung to the blanket even tighter. She noticed how Elrohir didn't seem too surprised by his brother's uninvited entrance, and his expression hadn't actually changed. But instead of looking at her, he was now looking at Elladan.

"Elrohir, why can't you just be on time for once in your life!" Elladan said to him with his back to Lynwen, who he clearly hadn't seen yet. Elrohir just continued to stare at his brother, not even attempting to defend himself. "So which one of your, unfortunate, ladies was it this time who kept you so busy, that you forgot about our meeting with Ada?" Elladan continued.

Elrohir momentarily glanced over Elladan's shoulder to where Lynwen was standing, before bringing his eyes back to his brother's.

Elladan noticed Elrohir's quick glance behind him, and so turned around to see where his brother had looked to. But nothing could have prepared him for what, and _who_, was standing there, clinging onto the blanket, barely covering her, obvious, naked body.

"Lynwen!" Elladan couldn't hide the shock in his voice, and very quickly realised that he shouldn't be looking at her in her current state of undress. "Lynwen, I'm so sorry for intruding on you like this, for I did not know you were here!" Elladan had quickly bowed his head in respect, and being the now, very embarrassed, gentleman that he was, he continued to keep his eyes to the floor, not wanting to make her feel even more uncomfortable than she already looked.

Lynwen just closed her eyes, feeling so bloody embarrassed right now, that she wanted nothing more than for the ground to just swallow her up! She noticed how Elladan seemed just as uncomfortable as she was, and he had even turned a little red.

Elladan turned his head towards Elrohir and looked up at him with a very angry looking expression on his face. "Elrohir! A word, please." he said, as he signalled to the door behind him with his hand.

Elrohir let out a small sigh. "Fine." he said, and started to walk towards his bedroom door, but he looked to Lynwen before he left the room, pointing his finger at her. "You! Don't go anywhere!" he said, sending her a wicked grin.

It amazed Lynwen how, even in this incredibly awkward situation, Elrohir still just didn't seem to give a shit!

Elladan just bowed his head again in respect in her direction, before following Elrohir out of the bedroom and into the corridor.

Once Elladan had firmly shut the bedroom door behind him, he spun around to face Elrohir. "What the hell do you think you're up to?!" Elladan couldn't hide his anger towards his brother. "She's your sister!"

"_Foster _sister, actually. And I'm not up to anything." Elrohir replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Elrohir's laid back attitude was really beginning to test Elladan's patience. "Elrohir, this is serious! Do you realise what it is that you've done! It's Lynwen. Lynwen!"

"I know who it is, Elladan. I got to see her pretty well, last night!" Elrohir chuckled a little.

"This is all just one big joke to you, isn't it?! She's just, yet, one other notch on your bedpost, isn't she?"

Elrohir's head snapped up to look at his brother, his face now serious. "No, Elladan, you're wrong. I really like her! She's different to all the others."

Elladan could recognise that look in his brother's eyes. He'd seen that same look many years ago when Elrohir had been with Raina. He realised then that his brother was actually quite serious about his declaration. Elladan dropped his head and sighed deeply, suddenly feeling a lot more calm. "Elrohir, you have remembered that she is mortal, haven't you?"

Elrohir looked at his brother, but he didn't say anything. Elladan now looked back up to meet his brother's stare, feeling a little regretful at what he was about to say. "Elrohir, this can only end in heartache. End it now, before it goes any further."

Before Elrohir could answer, they both turned their heads at the sound of the bedroom door opening, and Lynwen stepping out into the corridor wearing her white nightdress.

"Sorry to interrupt you both, but I must be getting back to my bedroom, and to my duties." She bowed her head slightly at Elladan. "Novaer, Elladan (farewell)." Elladan bowed his head in return. She turned to Elrohir. "Na lû e-govaned vîn, Elrohir (until we meet again)."

Elrohir could only nod his head in understanding, before she quickly scurried away down the corridor, his face looking immensely disappointed at her departure. He watched her disappear around the corner, Elladan's words going over and over in his head. He hadn't experienced feelings like this since his relationship with Raina, and he knew it was something that couldn't just be ignored. He turned back to face Elladan.

"Yes Elladan, in answer to your question, I have remembered that she is mortal. But I have no intentions of ending it, either." His face was full of stubborn determination. "But I ask of you, to please keep this a secret. Especially from Ada!"

Elladan could only sigh in disappointment. Disappointment that his brother was on another potential road to heartbreak. He remembered how Elrohir had suffered greatly after Raina had left, and he didn't want to see his brother go through that again. And a future with a mortal? Well, that was just the point. There can never be a future with a mortal, for they always end up dying in the end. And this, he feared, could also be the ending of his brother's life if his relationship with Lynwen was to continue down this road. Whether it be from a broken heart, or from the unthinkable possibility that Elrohir would end up choosing to sacrifice his immortality in favour of living a mortal life, instead. But Elladan knew that once Elrohir had made his mind up on something, it was very rarely possible to convince him to change it.

"Of course I'll keep it a secret." Elladan reluctantly replied. "But do me a favour, please? Just take things slowly, and be sure that this is what you want before it gets too serious, ok?"

Elrohir placed his hand upon his brother's shoulder, and smiled. "You worry too much, muindor (brother)."

"Aye, but you always give me plenty of reasons to worry!" Elladan smiled back at his brother before continuing. "And one more thing, Elrohir. Please don't hurt Lynwen."

This last comment had caused Elrohir's expression to become serious again, now looking at his brother with a questionable expression. But Elladan continued. "I know how elleths and women end up somewhat, heartbroken, after they've had any involvement with you! And I care about Lynwen a lot. And so I ask you, please don't lead her on if this isn't what you truly want."

"You offend me, muindor." Elrohir said, mockingly, placing his hand upon his chest as if he was hurt by Elladan's accusation. "Do you really think I could be capable of such a thing?" He asked in a fake, innocent tone.

"I know so! Your reputation precedes you, Elrohir!" Elladan raised an eyebrow at his brother.

Elrohir burst out laughing, at this. He couldn't deny his brother's words. "Aye, maybe that was me before, Elladan. But not now. I feel Lynwen is something really special, and I truly like her." Elrohir couldn't hide the smile that was creeping on his face. "I actually think that she may have managed to turn me soft!" he said, a sudden surprised expression on his face.

"Aye, soft in the head!" Elladan sarcastically replied while laughing a little, also inciting a chuckle from his brother. Elladan then placed his hand upon Elrohir's shoulder. "Ok muindor, I will trust that you know what you're doing, and I'll leave it at that. Now! For the love of Elbereth, will you please go and get dressed!"

Elrohir couldn't help but to laugh at his brother's impatience, and he looked down at himself to see that he was, in fact, only wearing his breeches and nothing else. He smiled at Elladan and nodded his acceptance, before turning to enter his bedroom.

"And I'll meet you down in Ada's study." Elladan said, before he turned and walked away down the corridor, leaving Elrohir to reluctantly get dressed.

xxx

Later that afternoon, Lynwen had found herself in the kitchens with Anira, where she had been helping to prepare the evening meal for last few hours. Lynwen was standing at the work-top, rolling out some pastry with a rolling pin. She hated everything about these tasks that her father had insisted that she learn. This morning she had been continuing on with her crochet with Anira, then they had moved on to sewing, and now it was cooking. She couldn't deny that she was undoubtedly going to make the picture-perfect housewife one day, but she found it all so mundane. She didn't want to be knitting, dressmaking, sewing, and most of all, she did not want to be rolling out this pastry!

"Anira, it keeps sticking to the work-top every time I try to turn it over! I swear, I'll put it in the bin soon!" Lynwen couldn't contain her rage at this incredibly annoying piece of, now very mangled, pastry in front of her.

"Shh, Lynwen, and calm down. You just need some more flour, that's all. Stay there and I'll run down to the storeroom to fetch some." Anira put down her cooking utensils, and left the kitchen.

Lynwen could feel her rage building. The extreme heat of the kitchen, mixed with this exceedingly boring and frustrating task, was all too much for her to take. She began to repeatedly slam the rolling pin into the wooden surface of the work-top, causing all the glass jars of condiments to shake and clatter together. She knew that she was creating a dent in the wooden surface of the work-top, but she didn't care, it just felt so good to get all her anger and frustration out like this.

She stopped when a hand was firmly placed upon hers from behind, bringing her sudden outburst to an abrupt halt. Before she had a chance to turn around to see who it was, they had brought about their other hand to the left side of her body and placed it upon her left arm, now restraining her firmly in place, preventing her from moving.

"I see you still have that fiery temper of yours." Elrohir whispered against her ear, before he started to place sensual kisses on her neck.

Lynwen felt the anger suddenly leave her body, being immediately replaced by pure lust. She closed her eyes and relaxed back into Elrohir's strong frame, relishing in the feel of his soft lips upon her skin, once again.

Elrohir's right hand relaxed its firm grip on her arm, and now began to undo the top few buttons at the front of Lynwen's dress.

"Ro, what are you doing?! Anira's going to be back any second!"

Elrohir, ignoring the protests from Lynwen, now placed his hand inside her dress, while still sensuously kissing her neck.

Lynwen couldn't help but sigh in contentment. So utterly lost in his touches, that she completely forgot about the rest of the world around her. All that existed in that moment was her and Elrohir, and she didn't care about anything else.

That was until she heard Anira shouting, as she was coming back up the stairs from the storeroom. "Lynwen! I certainly hope that loud banging I heard wasn't you taking your temper out on something! There'll be hell to pay if you've damaged something!"

Lynwen snapped out of her lust-filled daze! "Ro, Anira's coming! You have to go, quickly!"

Elrohir didn't seem too bothered by Anira quickly approaching them, and took his time by slowly bringing his hand out from inside Lynwen's dress, before seductively breathing into her ear, "Make sure that you visit me again tonight, little one. And I'll show you many ways that you can unleash that anger."

And as quickly as he had arrived, he was gone again.

"Lynwen! Why is your dress undone?!" Anira was now entering the kitchen holding a big bag of flour.

"Umm, I.. I was really hot. This kitchen is stifling!" Lynwen wasn't doing a very good job of hiding the fact that she was a little flustered at Elrohir's unexpected appearance.

"Well, it is most inappropriate Lynwen. Do up those buttons at once!"

Lynwen began to do up the buttons while looking out of the kitchen doorway, seeing if she could glimpse Elrohir. But there was no such luck. He was long gone. She was now trying to suppress the smile that was trying to force itself on her face.

"I wouldn't be smiling if I were you! Look at the damage you've done to the work-top, Lynwen! We're going to have to speak to your Ada about that temper of yours. Really Lynwen, it's most un-ladylike to behave in such a manner, and..."

Anira's scolding was just becoming a dull humming noise in the background, her words just droning away into nothing as Lynwen chose to ignore her, and instead found herself thinking about what her next encounter with Elrohir would be like.

Later that evening, after Lynwen and Elrohir had stolen a few glances across the dinner table at each other, which of course didn't go unnoticed by Elladan, they all excused themselves and made their way out of the dining room. As they approached the doorway, Elrohir gave Lynwen a look that she completely understood the meaning of, and subtly nodded in response. They all then went their separate ways, with Elrohir and Lynwen making their way to their bed chambers.

Lynwen rushed inside her room, wanting to get freshened up before going to visit Elrohir, that look he'd given her as they left the dining room, telling her to hurry. And she also needed to collect her toothbrush to take with her so that she would have it ready to use in the morning, hopefully before he woke up! She certainly wasn't going to make that mistake again!

After freshening up a little, she put on the sexiest item of clothing she owned which was a silk, cream-coloured chemise, and covered herself up with her robe before sneaking out of her room. She carefully and quietly crept up the corridor to Elrohir's bedroom, where they spent another entire night of love-making.

xxx

This became a nightly ritual for the pair over the following couple of weeks. With Lynwen ensuring that she was always back in her own bed before sunrise, hoping that Anira would never suspect anything when she came to wake her up in the mornings.

But Lynwen was finding it an increasingly difficult task to keep their romance a secret, especially when Elrohir continued to pull his little stints like the one in the kitchen when Anira had gone to get flour. They had had quite a few close calls like that, Elrohir seeming to find them thrilling, but Lynwen couldn't help but feel on edge during these times, always waiting for them to get caught.

But it was when, after one of her nightly visits to Elrohir's bedroom, she was making her way back to her own room when she was startled by the sudden appearance of her father's assistant, Lindir, that she knew their romance was very close to being discovered.

"My Lady Lynwen, is everything alright?" he had asked her suspiciously, looking her up and down, obviously taking note of her inappropriate state of dress.

Lynwen just prayed that he hadn't seen where it was she had just come from. "My Lord Lindir, thank you for your concern, but everything is fine. I had trouble sleeping, is all. So I went outside for some fresh air." She looked at him, hoping he was buying what she was saying.

"Then I will bid you a good morning, my lady." he had said, before walking away from her, throwing her one last glance over his shoulder before disappearing from sight. Lynwen hoped that she had managed to fool him, but knew that she'd have to speak to Elrohir about this 'arrangement' they had, for it was just getting too close to being discovered.

And it would be the following night before they would be alone again, and this is when she had planned to talk to him about this concern of hers. But little did she know, that it would be at the evening meal beforehand, that their whirlwind romance would be brought to an abrupt halt.

"Good evening, my children." Elrond was standing at the head of the table, addressing his children seated before him. "I would like to announce that we will be receiving a visitor to Imladris next week. He was expected to arrive at a later date, but after hearing that that would result in him missing Lynwen's eighteenth birthday party, he sent word that he would like to be present for such a special occasion."

Lynwen's stomach lurched forward, for she knew exactly who her father was referring to. Her romance with Elrohir had completely taken her mind off of that conversation she'd had with her father a couple of weeks previous, and what it was she had agreed to. And she also realised at that moment that she hadn't told anyone about what it was she had agreed to, including Elrohir.

She now looked in Elrohir's direction, a panicked expression upon her face as she anxiously awaited for her father to continue.

"And so, I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you all that this gentleman is visiting here next week, with a view to asking for Lynwen's hand in marriage." Elrond had a big smile on his face as he was speaking.

Lynwen noticed Elrohir's expression change suddenly to one of pure rage. He was still looking at his father, so she suspected his rage was aimed at him, and probably at this unsuspecting gentleman coming to visit.

"And Lynwen has agreed to meet with him." Elrond now gestured in her direction, which caused all of her siblings' heads to turn to look at her. But Lynwen still had her gaze fixed upon Elrohir, and knew the moment that his eyes met with hers, that his rage was now aimed at her.

"So, we all have a lot to get organised! It's only a week until your birthday Lynwen, and we have to make sure everything is perfect for when Lord Éomer arrives!"

Lynwen ignored her father's comment, and continued to look at Elrohir, her eyes pleading with him to give her an opportunity to explain. But it was to no avail. Elrohir abruptly broke his eye contact with her, and stood up from the table suddenly, startling everyone.

"Excuse me Ada, I have other business to attend to." Elrohir said, walking out of the dining room before his father had time to object.

Lynwen sighed to herself, and caught Elladan looking at her before he quickly looked away again. She knew how Elrohir was, and so she knew that she now had a big fight on her hands to make him listen to her.

Her father continued to talk from his position at the head of the table, about what he had planned for her party the following week, but she wasn't listening. Instead she remained deep in thought. It was frustrating her that her father was making such a big fuss about her party the following week, for nobody even knew when her real birthday was! And thinking about Elrohir's reaction to her father's news, made her regret the day she had ever agreed to meet with this man. This, what did Ada say his name was? Lord Éomer?


	8. A Sudden Emptiness

Chapter 8- A Sudden Emptiness

The week that followed was a nightmare. Everyone seemed to be panicking about this Lord Éomer and his entourage coming to visit, all of them running about the place like headless chickens making last minute preparations. Lynwen had hated every second of it! She, of course, had been kept extremely busy as well by being given plenty of tasks to do to help the preparations come along more quickly.

And at this particular moment in time, she was standing on a chair in the Great Hall, trying to reach up to stick one end of a banner to the wall. She was straining her arms to reach up higher, but found that she just wasn't tall enough. She dropped her arms to her sides in defeat, trying to contain her frustration. Frustration that all this fuss was for a birthday party that she didn't even want, and to welcome a man to Imladris that she didn't want to meet. All she really wanted, more than anything, was to be with Elrohir again. But she'd hardly seen him all week. He was clearly avoiding her by disappearing all day long, and he had even stopped showing up to breakfast and evening dinner. Their nightly rendezvous had come to a complete and sudden stop. And so had any other physical or verbal contact between them. The most she had gotten out of him over the last week was an abrupt "Excuse me" when she had been standing in his way one morning. And that was days ago!

She sighed to herself as she was lost in her thoughts, wishing that she hadn't agreed to this meeting a few weeks previous. And she couldn't believe that this Éomer guy was going to be arriving tomorrow! With her birthday party being the day after that! It was all happening so fast!

"Let me help you with that." Elladan's voice startled her from her reverie, and she saw that he was standing next to the chair, looking up at her.

Lynwen smiled affectionately at her brother, stepping down from the chair in the process. "Thank you Elladan." She said, as she handed him the banner.

Elladan climbed up on to the chair and fixed the banner to the wall effortlessly. "There!" He said, as he stepped back a little on the chair and looked at the banner neatly stuck to the wall. "Did you make that?!" He looked down at her at his question.

Lynwen tutted and rolled her eyes. "No. Do you really think that I'd make a banner to wish _myself _a Happy Birthday?!"

Elladan couldn't help but laugh at Lynwen's obvious annoyance. He stepped back down off the chair and stood himself next to her, placing a hand onto her shoulder. "Lynwen, it'll be a joyous celebration. Try to enjoy it."

Lynwen looked up at her brother standing before her. "Elladan, I don't want this. I don't want any of it!" She said as she was gesturing around the rest of the hall that was vastly covered in decorations. "I just find it all highly embarrassing! I mean, I hate any kind of attention. But not only does Ada want to invite the whole of Imladris to an over-the-top celebration for a _fake _birthday, but he also wants to make a spectacle of me by inviting this man along, as well? What? Is Ada hoping for a marriage proposal in front of everyone?! It just makes me cringe, Elladan, all of it!"

Elladan embraced his sister in a gentle hug, resting his head upon the top of hers, while she buried her face in his chest. "Shh, Lynwen. It's ok. You know what Ada is like, he doesn't do anything by half!" He was now stroking the hair at the back of her head, still embracing her in his arms, before he quietly continued. "And I know that this frustration of yours has a lot to do with Elrohir."

Lynwen brought her head away from his chest to look up at him, but she didn't say anything. Instead, while now looking down into her eyes, Elladan continued on. "I truly am sorry that things have ended this way between the two of you, for I know how much you must be hurting. But I do think it's for the best, Lynwen."

Lynwen dropped her arms from Elladan's sides, and pulled away from him, slumping herself down to sit on a nearby chair. Elladan couldn't stop his heart from aching at the sorrowful expression upon her face. He truly loved his brother, but right now, he held nothing but resentment towards him. Resentment towards the way Elrohir's harsh actions were clearly hurting Lynwen so much. Resentment at the way he'd selfishly taken her innocence, and had now abandoned her while he was off sulking somewhere. And resentment that he could very well have ruined Lynwen's chances of finding true happiness with someone else.

He walked over to the chair that Lynwen was sitting in and crouched down next to her, taking a hold of her hands in his. "You have a real chance here, Lynwen. A chance to be happy with someone who can give you a good life, who can take care of you, and most importantly, who can grow old with you. He's the nephew of the King of Rohan! And so you can be assured that you'll be well taken care of, and will live a very prosperous life! "

Lynwen didn't answer him, she didn't even look at him, and continued to stare down at the floor. She knew that what Elladan was saying was logical, but it didn't put a stop to the feelings she was still holding for Elrohir. She wanted to be with him so much, and it was breaking her heart that he was shunning her.

"He won't even look at me, Elladan. I wish he would just give me a chance to explain."

Elladan dropped his head and sighed deeply. He wondered if Lynwen had even listened to what he had just said to her.

"Lynwen, muinthel (sister)," he placed his hands on the sides of her face, "Please forget about Elrohir. He's a very stubborn being, and I hate to say it, but he's even a little selfish too. And I worry that if your relationship reconciles, it will only end in even more anguish. For the both of you! Move on from him, muinthel, and find happiness elsewhere."

She looked at her brother now, hearing his words ringing in her head. She knew he was right, but it wasn't going to be easy for her to move on. The relationship she had had with Elrohir, although had only lasted a couple of weeks, had been intense. Both of them not being able to be without the other for very long, and then completely devouring each other when they were together, each time acting as if they hadn't seen each other for years! It had been the happiest time of her life.

But she reluctantly nodded her head in agreement anyway, hoping that this would satisfy Elladan enough to stop talking about it.

"Very well." Elladan said while giving her a warm smile. "Well, Ada has a lot of things for me to do, as well. It seems that no one is escaping his many tasks today!" He let out a small chuckle at this, and stood up while affectionately tucking a piece of Lynwen's hair behind her ear. "Try to enjoy these next few days, Lynwen. And give this, Lord Éomer, a chance. You just might end up liking him!" He smiled warmly at her before turning around and walked out of the hall, leaving Lynwen alone to her thoughts once again.

But she just couldn't get Elrohir out of her head. She missed his company so much. His touches, their intimate moments together, the laughter they shared... Everything! She missed everything about him!

But she couldn't get the image out of her head of the way his face had looked so full of rage at the dinner table the week before. Rage that had clearly been aimed at her.

She desperately needed to see him to try to explain herself. She'd been too nervous to try to approach him before now, knowing that it was best to leave him be for a while. Plus, he'd been doing a very good job at making himself scarce all week, so she hadn't actually seen him that much. But tonight was her last chance to put things right before this guy was due to arrive tomorrow. She looked to the window, and could see that the sun was ready to set. She had a good idea as to where she might find him. And so she swiftly left the hall, and started to make her way up to the top of the valley.

As she arrived at the top of the valley, she stopped next the little stream that they had always sat next to. But to her immense disappointment, Elrohir was not there. She looked out towards the horizon and could see that the sun had almost completely disappeared from the sky, and so she guessed that he probably wasn't going to be coming. She slumped down on to the ground and brought her knees up to her chest. At this particular moment in time, all she felt like doing, was crying. She felt as if everything she'd ever known was falling into disarray. She looked down at her home below, and wondered for how much longer it would actually be her home. If she ended up marrying this Éomer guy, then she'd have to move away to his homeland, which was Rohan, apparently. And the very thought of it upset her so much. And the pressure that her father was unknowingly putting on her by his expectations of a marriage proposal over the next few days, was suffocating her greatly.

A few weeks ago she still had everything! Her family, her prospects, a bright future to look forward to, and even her innocence! But now? Well now, she just felt so utterly lost. Elrohir had taken care of the loss of her innocence, and had since, seemingly, dropped her like a bad habit. Her father and this Éomer guy had taken care of removing any hopes and wishes she'd had for her future. And well, with Elrohir clearly not wanting anything to do with her anymore, and with her father trying to ship her off to another kingdom, she was well and truly starting to feel like her family were slipping away from her too. She'd never felt so alone and so down as she did at this particular moment. She couldn't control a couple of stray tears to escape her eyes as she angrily wiped them away from her face, continuing to stare out into the distance.

Lynwen stayed up on that valley for most of the night, purposely missing the evening meal due to not being able to deal with any more talk of what was to come over the next couple of days. It was well past midnight when she made her way back down the hillside and to her bed chambers. She crawled into her bed, bringing the blanket up over her head as she curled up into a ball. And for the first time since all those years ago, when she'd watched Elrohir leave for the expedition, Lynwen cried herself to sleep.


	9. Trying to Forget

_**Please Note:** **There is a**_** _chapter before this one! I published Chapter 8 and Chapter 9 at the same time._**

Chapter 9 - Trying to Forget

Lynwen was woken up the following morning by the gentle voice of her sister, Arwen. "Lynwen? Lynwen, wake up."

Lynwen slowly opened her eyes to see Arwen sat on the edge of her bed, a soothing smile upon her face.

"What time is it?" Lynwen lazily asked.

"Time for you to get ready!" Arwen was smiling broadly at her now.

Lynwen sat up in her bed and rested back against the headboard. She really didn't feel like she had the energy to leave that bed today. And she knew that Arwen was here to help her to get ready to meet Lord Éomer, for he was due to be arriving today. Lynwen sighed heavily. She really didn't want to go through with this meeting.

"What's wrong, muinthel (sister)?" Arwen had rested her hand upon Lynwen's knee as she spoke to her.

"Arwen, I don't think I can do this. What if I don't like him? Or he doesn't like me? The expectations of everyone as to where this meeting could end up, is truly suffocating me! Maybe I'll be lucky, and he won't turn up!" Lynwen said suddenly, her eyes wide and full of hope.

"No such luck, muinthel, for he is already here!"

Arwen's words caused Lynwen's head to snap up to look at her sister, her eyes wide with shock. "What?! When?!"

Arwen laughed a little at Lynwen's startled expression. "He arrived about an hour ago. We received word that he and his company had hit the borders of Imladris early this morning, and so some of the border guards went out to guide them the rest of the way here."

"Have you met him?" Lynwen couldn't hide her curiosity.

"Yes, and he's very handsome!" Arwen gave Lynwen a subtle wink. "And he and his company have been escorted to their rooms to rest for the remainder of the morning, and we will all meet for lunch a little later on."

Lynwen was a little stunned. She wasn't expecting him to be here so early. She'd even half hoped that he wouldn't come at all, hoping that Imladris was too well hidden for him to be able to find it.

"Lynwen, you must get out of bed now. I'll help you to get ready after you've showered." Arwen then made her way over to Lynwen's wardrobe, sifting through the dresses that were hanging up in there. "Ah, yes, this one will be perfect!" Arwen said as she pulled out a short-sleeved, ankle-length, cream coloured dress that had a delicate gold belt around the waist. She then noticed that Lynwen was still sat on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest as she was staring into space. Arwen draped the dress over the back of a chair, and sat back on the bed taking a hold of her sister's hands.

"Lynwen. I wish I could take this sorrow that you're feeling, away from you." Arwen sighed a little. "But, unfortunately I can't." She continued to hold her sister's hands in her own, stroking the back of Lynwen's fingers with her thumbs, before she softly spoke again. "Lynwen, let Elrohir go."

Lynwen's eyes met her sister's at this last comment, shock clearly written all over her face. "You know?!" Lynwen asked in disbelief.

Arwen tenderly smiled at her sister. "Of course I know. There's not much that I miss." Arwen was still smiling at her sister. "Plus, the two of you weren't able to take your eyes off each other!" Arwen laughed a little at this.

Lynwen was horrified. Had their romance really been that obvious to everyone? She thought that only Elladan knew, and that was bad enough! Now Arwen?! And who else?! She suddenly felt panicked. "Does anyone else know?!"

"I don't think so." Arwen said, tying to sound reassuring.

A short silence fell between the two of them, with Lynwen looking out towards the window. She wished she could stop this aching in her heart. She felt so empty without Elrohir in her life.

"I miss him so much, Arwen." Lynwen said quietly, her empty stare looking off into the distance. "He's always been an important figure in my life, and now..." Lynwen looked down to her knees that were still brought up against her chest. "...and now, he won't have anything to do with me."

Arwen placed her finger under Lynwen's chin, raising her face to look at her. "Lynwen, Elrohir loves you dearly, for that I'm certain. But you know very well how stubborn he is. He's my brother and I love him very much, but I don't want you to waste any more of your precious time pining after him, for I fear he could keep you waiting for a very long time."

Lynwen nodded slightly at this, for she knew Arwen's words were true. Elrohir was unpredictable, and extremely stubborn. She could very well be waiting for an unthinkable amount of time before he would even begin talking to her again. She knew she had to try and forget about him, which was going to be extremely difficult, but she had to at least try. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, readying herself for the day ahead.

"Come now. Out of that bed and into the shower." Arwen stood up from the bed walking over to the drawers, pulling out a towel. "Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Lynwen!" she said, smiling happily at her sister.

xxx

Unfortunately, lunchtime had arrived. Lynwen's stomach was turning at the thought that she was only minutes away from meeting Éomer. She stood in front of her vanity table, looking into the mirror. She knew she couldn't stall this any longer. It was time to leave and head down to the dining room. She wondered who would be there. Would it be a personal affair, or was the entire family going to be present for this? Was Elrohir going to be there?!

"Lynwen?" Arwen snapped her out of her daydreaming. "Lynwen, it's time to go."

Lynwen continued to stare into the mirror a few moments more. Arwen had actually done quite a good job with her hair! she thought to herself. It actually looked quite presentable. "It looks quite pretty, Arwen. My hair, I mean." Lynwen said with surprise in her voice. "You've managed to achieve the impossible! You should be proud." Lynwen said, smiling, as she turned her head to look at her sister.

Arwen smiled back at her, and then gestured to the door with her hand, signalling to Lynwen that they had to go. Lynwen took a deep breath, and started to walk towards the door.

"Just be yourself, Lynwen, and all will be well." Arwen said, before they both left the bedroom, and made their way to the dining room.

xxx

Éomer was sitting at the dining table, his advisor, Alric, sitting in the seat next to him. Éomer was nervously tapping his feet on the floor, and his hands on the table, jumping every time the dining room door opened.

"Calm down, Éomer. People are staring." Alric muttered to Éomer quietly, hoping no one would hear.

"I can't, Alric, I'm too nervous." Éomer looked up from the dining table to see that the few elves that were milling about the place, were in fact looking in his direction. "Is this really such a good idea? I mean, finding a bride in an _elven _kingdom? I don't know why a meeting couldn't have been arranged with a normal human girl, from a normal _human _kingdom!" Éomer whispered to Alric.

The older man just sighed at Éomer's protest. "Éomer, this Lynwen, _is _human. You know this! And your uncle thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try to re-strengthen a long-lost relationship between men and elves. This marriage could do wonders for our race!" Alric then rubbed his hand across his forehead and closed his eyes. His face showing tiredness and a little frustration. "Éomer, we've talked about all of this many times..."

"I know, but I just don't like the way these elves keep staring at me!" Éomer whispered to his advisor.

"Well if you stop attracting attention to yourself, then they won't stare." Alric said as he firmly landed his hands onto Éomer's, stopping him from tapping them on the table any longer.

Elrond was stood on the other side of the dining room with Elladan, Estel, and Lindir. "Where is she? What's taking them so long?" he was looking to the dining room door, and appearing just as anxious as Éomer. "And come to think of it. Where is your brother?" He looked to Elladan and Estel at this question.

Elladan sighed, "You know Elrohir, Ada. He's always in a different place to where you actually need him to be." But Elladan knew, of course, the true reason as to why Elrohir was keeping himself scarce. And secretly, Elladan was truly grateful that his brother was choosing to stay away, for he feared what Elrohir may do to this Éomer if he _was _here!

"Yes, but I think it's rather strange that he seems to have been disappearing ever since I announced at dinner last week, that a potential husband for Lynwen was to be visiting. Don't you think so, Elladan?" Elrond turned his head towards Elladan at this last comment, his face completely placid and difficult to read. He continued to stare at Elladan, obviously awaiting a response.

Elladan didn't like the way his father was looking at him. It was like he wasn't really asking for his opinion on the matter, but rather a confirmation as to something he suspected, or even knew. Oh Valar! did he know about Elrohir and Lynwen?! Elladan mentally shook his head. No, no of course he doesn't know. How could he? Elladan felt himself getting a little uncomfortable under his father's stare, and knew that he had to answer.

"Umm, I don't know Ada. Like I said, You know Elrohir. He's always disappearing at the worst possible times. I actually don't think it's that strange that he's not here!" Elladan let out a nervous laugh after he finished his sentence, knowing that he was doing such a bad job at lying to his father.

Elrond didn't take his eyes from Elladan for a good few moments after. His expression still placid, serious, and completely unreadable. And Elladan thanked the Valar when Lynwen and Arwen finally entered the dining room, causing his father to break his stare from him and look towards the girls instead.

Elrond walked over to Lynwen and took a hold of her hand. "You look lovely, iell nin (my daughter)." he said with an affectionate smile on his face. "Lord Éomer is anxiously awaiting to meet you. He seems rather nervous, actually." Elrond continued to smile at Lynwen before leading her over to the dining table.

Éomer and Alric immediately stood up from their seats as they saw Elrond walking towards them with, who they presumed was, Lynwen.

"My Lord Éomer, I'd like to introduce to you my daughter, Lynwen."

Éomer gently took a hold of Lynwen's hand and bowed his head. "A pleasure to meet you, my lady."

Lynwen observed the man stood before her. She noted how he was much younger than she had expected him to be, probably not being much older than she was. He was tall, around 6 foot, or so. His hair was a light, golden brown colour, which came down to the base of his shoulders, and was slightly wavy. She noticed he had slight stubble on his face, giving him a dark shadow of a beard. Seeing facial hair was still something she found so strange to see, with her brother Estel being the only person she'd ever seen with a beard until now. Elves only ever had hair on their head, and that was it! Even she had more hair on her body than the male elves did!

"Lynwen?"

Elrond's call of her name startled her from her thoughts. She re-focused on to Éomer who had since let go of her hand, and was now looking at her expectantly. "My apologies my lord. It's a pleasure to meet you too." Lynwen curtsied as she said this before standing back up to look at him, with Éomer giving her a warm smile in return. Arwen was right. He was handsome! And he did seem just as nervous about this whole thing as she was, which helped Lynwen to relax a little more.

"Take a seat over here, Lynwen." Elrond signalled to the chair that was opposite to Éomer's. Lynwen walked over to her chair and sat down, noticing that Éomer remained standing, only taking his seat after Lynwen had.

Sat to Lynwen's left was her father, who was sat at the head of the table, and to her right was Arwen, with Alric sitting opposite to her. Sat next to Arwen, was Estel, with Elladan sitting directly opposite him. She glanced up to catch Éomer looking at her, before he coyly smiled and quickly looked down again, looking a little embarrassed as he did so. She couldn't help but smile as well. He really was as nervous as her, which was a huge relief for Lynwen and it helped her to calm a little more.

Lunch lasted around an hour, and was a very formal affair. Elrond and Alric did most of the talking, with the others inputting a comment here and there, and Lynwen and Éomer almost remaining silent throughout.

Lynwen was glad when they all finally excused themselves from the table. Although Éomer had seemed rather pleasant throughout, her head and her heart were still not completely in this. There was only one person she wanted to be in the company of right now, and he was currently nowhere to be found. She realised at that point that the last time she had seen Elrohir was a number of days ago! He hadn't been showing up to any of the meals, and she hadn't seen him on top of the valley, either. She wondered if he was even still in Rivendell!

"It was a pleasure to meet you, my lady." Éomer interrupted Lynwen's thoughts. "And I hope to see you again at dinner this evening?" There was a question in his statement, and he looked a little apprehensive as he waited for her answer.

"Yes, of course we'll meet again this evening. And it was a pleasure to meet you too, my lord." Lynwen offered him a smile, before she made her way out of the dining room with Arwen, leaving the males inside.

"So?" Arwen said to her as they made their way up the open-air corridors. "What do you think?"

Lynwen smiled half-heartedly, before giving her feeble reply. "Yes, he seems very pleasant."

"And didn't I tell you he was very handsome!" Arwen nudged Lynwen with her elbow as she said this, a cheeky smirk upon her face.

Lynwen laughed a little at her sister's actions. "Yes, he is, you were right." But Lynwen's smile faded quickly, and her mind began to drift elsewhere once again.

"Just give it time, muinthel." Arwen had taken a hold of Lynwen's hand now, and was smiling at her with an understanding in her expression.

Lynwen knew what, and who, her sister was referring to. She nodded in response to Arwen, but secretly she was pining after Elrohir even more now than she had been before. She just wished she could see him again. She wished she even knew where he was!

"If you don't mind, Arwen, I'd like to take a walk alone for a while. I just need to clear my head a little before dinner this evening."

Arwen nodded her understanding and smiled warmly at her sister. "Ok muinthel, I'll see you in a couple of hours to help you get dressed for dinner." she said, before placing a kiss upon her sister's cheek and walking away into the main residences.

Lynwen took a deep breath, and closed her eyes while turning her face towards the warm Spring sun, allowing it to warm her skin. Where could he be? She thought to herself. She slowly opened her eyes again, and exhaled loudly. She needed him now more than ever! She needed his friendship, his laughter, his affectionate touches... She took another deep breath, and suddenly started walking down the stone steps and into the gardens below, deciding to head for the stables.

As she stepped into the stables, she was disappointed to see that Elrohir's horse was missing. She went in search of one of the stable hands to see if they knew where Elrohir had gone to. She stepped out into the courtyard and came across Glandur, one of the younger stable-hands, sweeping up some mud and dirt from the cobbled stone walkway.

"Glandur, have you seen Elrohir? I've noticed his horse is missing."

Glandur was quite a nervous elf, what with him being so young and inexperienced compared to all the others, and he tended to stutter a little when he talked. "M m my Lady Lynwen. Wha wha what a pleasure to see you. I'm afraid I have not seen Lord Elrohir since he took his horse, around five days ago."

"Five days!? Did he say where he was going, Glandur?"

"I I I'm afraid not, my lady. He actually didn't say anything at all, n n now I come to think of it." Glandur smiled nervously.

Lynwen sighed a little and looked around her in different directions, as if trying to work out where or what to do next. It seemed Elrohir had no intentions of being found. Who knew where he had gone to, and even if he was going to come back any time soon. Lynwen turned back around to Glandur, who was still looking at her a little nervously. "How did he seem when he left?" She asked him quietly.

"Umm, h h he seemed a little pensive, maybe even a little angry..." Glandur's sentence trailed off, as if he wasn't sure whether he should be speculating such things about Elrohir.

Lynwen noticed how uneasy Glandur was feeling by the way he was nervously fiddling with the sweeping brush, and seeming unsure as to whether he should be smiling or not. She felt bad for putting him in such a position, and decided to leave the poor ellon alone. "Le fael, Glandur." She said with a slight bow of her head, and turned away to make her way back to the house.

xxx

Dinner that evening was actually quite a pleasant affair. Lynwen had been feeling quite bitter and angry after discovering that Elrohir had just taken off like that without a second thought for her, and so she made a point of making an extra special effort with Éomer. It was her way of trying to convince herself that she had moved on from Elrohir, but she felt kind of bad that she was using poor Éomer to help her forget about her estranged lover. But she couldn't help it. She needed a distraction, and it seemed Éomer was just that!

Dinner was with the same people that had been at lunch, and they had all taken the exact same seating positions they had been in that afternoon. After the dinner had finished, they all made their way to the top end of the dining room near the double doors that opened out on to the terrace in the gardens.

Lynwen had managed to smuggle some of the wine that had been served to the others at the dinner table, and signalled for Éomer to follow her outside. He smiled his response at her, and swiftly followed her out of the double doors and onto the terrace. She led him down the couple of stone steps from the terrace, and into the gardens below. Éomer was stunned by the beauty that surrounded him. The moon was now high up in the sky and was casting its eerie silver glow over the trees and plants that now surrounded them. Lynwen stopped once they were underneath the branches of a tree, and sat down on the ground below, leaning her back against the trunk. She looked up at Éomer, who she noticed was still standing there looking unsure as to what he should do.

"Sit down!" Lynwen tapped her hand on the ground next to her, signalling for him to take a place beside her.

Éomer lowered himself down on the ground and brought his knees up to his chest, but continued to stare awkwardly out in to the distance, not saying a word.

"How old are you?" Lynwen broke the awkward silence with her blunt question.

Éomer turned his head to face her, still looking a little anxious. "I am in my nineteenth year, my lady." He said a little nervously, while smiling a little awkwardly.

Lynwen nodded her response before reaching down the front of her dress to reveal the bottle of wine that she had sneaked out from the dinner table. She then held it up in front of his face, a big grin upon hers.

"My Lady Lynwen! Did you steal that? We could get in big trouble!" Éomer's eyes were wide with panic, but also with a little excitement.

"Yes I stole it!" Lynwen answered abruptly, still grinning widely. "And I intend on drinking it too! Will you not join me?" Lynwen took a swig from the bottle before holding it out for Éomer to take. His face also broke out into a big smile and he took the bottle from her immediately, taking a swig from it himself.

"I have to say, my lady, I'm quite surprised by your actions." He said while turning back to look at her, "But _pleasantly _surprised, I must add." A warm smile now breaking out across his face as he said this. He continued to gaze at her for a few moments before he continued on. "Before I arrived at Rivendell, I was actually expecting to be introduced to a very placid, and maybe even a very dull woman. But you, My Lady Lynwen, are anything but!" Éomer started laughing a little now as he spoke to her.

Lynwen laughed at this as well, realising that this Éomer wasn't actually that bad. "Yes, I'm afraid that if you were expecting your typical run of the mill Lady, who enjoys sewing, cooking and cleaning, then you're going to be immensely disappointed!" Lynwen smirked at him. "Oh, and please stop addressing me as 'Lady'. My name is simply Lynwen, and I'd much prefer it if you addressed me as such." Lynwen said while taking the bottle that he'd offered back to her, quickly taking another swig. She now brought up one of her knees and leant her arm across it while leaning her head back against the tree.

Éomer just couldn't take his eyes off her. He loved the way she was sitting there in such a 'manly' manner, without a care in the world for rules and regulations. She truly was a breath of fresh air.

"Ok, _simply _Lynwen." Éomer said sarcastically, which incited a little laugh from Lynwen. "I can assure you that I'm not in the slightest way disappointed that you are not like any other woman I've met before. And I actually find it hugely refreshing to be in your company!"

Lynwen turned her head to look at him now, and he noticed how the moonlight was reflecting off her eyes, causing them to sparkle slightly. He hadn't really noticed when he'd first met her this afternoon, but he could see now that she truly was rather beautiful. He took a deep breath before he continued on.

"And I truly believe now, that my time here in Rivendell is going to be an extremely memorable experience for me." Éomer couldn't break the smile that was etched on to his face, while he continued to gaze at Lynwen.

But little did Éomer know, that his time in Rivendell was going to be an extremely memorable experience for all the wrong reasons.


	10. A Sudden Crossroads

_**Just another reminder that Chapter 8 was uploaded at the same time as Chapter 9. There seems to be a bit of confusion and so, Chapter 8 appears to be getting overlooked by many readers. So please ensure that you've all read Chapter 8 to avoid any confusion with the storyline. :) Ok, so here is Chapter 10, and thanks again to all who are reading this!**_

_**Also, writingNOOB made a good point about there being no mention of Legolas yet. But rest assured all you Legolas fans, he will be the other love interest, and he will have a big part to play in this story!**_

Chapter 10 - A Sudden Crossroads

Lynwen reluctantly opened her eyes the following morning as the bright sunlight was beaming in through her bedroom window, shining brightly in her face. She felt awful! She reached up her hands and held her head as she let out a long groan. Her head was banging! Her and Éomer had managed to polish off a further three bottles of wine the night before. But now Lynwen was deeply regretting breaking into the wine cellars with Éomer after they had finished that first bottle, her head now feeling like a bucket of frogs!

She suddenly, without warning, had the urge to be sick! She threw back the covers on her bed and ran for her bathroom, only just making in time to the toilet where she violently projectile vomited into the basin. This only made her intense headache even worse, and so she proceeded to be sick down the toilet while clinging onto her head in her attempt to stop the pain. In between the retching, she was groaning loudly, cursing herself for drinking so much wine the night before.

"Aah, I see I have found the culprit who broke into the wine cellar last night."

Lynwen felt too ill to bring her head around to look at the person who spoke behind her, but she recognised the voice as that of her father. All Lynwen could muster was a low drawn out groan before she began to retch again, the mere mention of the word "wine" causing her to do this.

"Well, I came here to wish my daughter a Happy 18th Birthday, but I can see that you are somewhat, indisposed, at the moment. And so I will leave you to continue on with your repercussions of your foolish behaviour from last night, and I will look forward to seeing you at your party this evening."

With that, Elrond left the ensuite bathroom and made his way out of Lynwen's bedroom. Lynwen sighed heavily after hearing her bedroom door close with her father's swift exit from her chambers, and slumped down on the bathroom floor, her hands still clinging to the toilet. In her hungover daze, she'd completely forgotten that it was her birthday, and couldn't believe that she now had to find some sort of energy from somewhere to try and face this dreaded party this evening.

After having nothing left inside her to vomit, Lynwen made her way back to her bed, bringing the blanket over her head, thinking to herself that she must be dying!

She'd been allowed to take a few sips of wine here and there in the past after she'd wanted to know what it tasted like, but she'd never gotten drunk before. And she made a promise to herself there and then, that she was never going to drink another drop of alcohol again! She closed her eyes, and managed to drift back off to sleep.

She didn't know how long she'd been sleeping for, when a loud knock sounded on her bedroom door. She slowly opened her eyes before the knock sounded again. "Who is it?" She shouted towards the door, surprised at how much better her head felt.

"Tis your brothers." They shouted back through the bedroom door.

Lynwen panicked at their response. Does that include Elrohir? "Come in!" She shouted, still in her lying position on her bed.

Her bedroom door opened and in walked Elladan and Estel. But no Elrohir. Of course there's no Elrohir, she thought to herself. Why would he take the trouble to come back from wherever he was, to wish her a Happy 18th Birthday?! She suddenly felt her anger and resentment towards Elrohir escalating at this thought.

"Oh Valar!" Was Elladan's comment as he looked at Lynwen. "I don't mean to offend you, muinthel, but you look like death!"

Estel only laughed as he made his way over to Lynwen's side before sitting himself down on her bed. His dark brown, shoulder length hair, waving messily around his face. His smile lighting up his features, and making his blue eyes shine brightly. "Yes, we suspected it was you who had broken into the wine cellar. And looking at you now, I can see that our suspicions were correct." Estel said, and continued to laugh at his comment while looking down at Lynwen.

Lynwen couldn't help but laugh a little too. She loved how Estel always seemed to see the funny side to these sort of things.

"Well we actually came here to wish you a Happy 18th Birthday! But it looks like you started the celebrations a little early!" Estel said, chuckling again.

"Lynwen! You're green!" Arwen had walked into the room now, and stood herself next to Elladan at the foot of the bed. "Is she supposed to be green?!" Arwen was frantically looking back and forth between Elladan and Estel for an answer.

Estel laughed again at Arwen's words, and placed his hand upon Lynwen's arm. "Aye, that's what happens when you consume an amount of wine that even a Mirkwood Elf would find impressive!" He continued to laugh.

"Estel this isn't funny!" Arwen said in a panic, which incited a little snigger from Elladan. Arwen elbowed her brother standing next to her to silence him, before she continued. "Well you're going to have to get up Lynwen, because you need to get ready for your party!"

Lynwen just groaned and buried her face back in to the pillows.

"Ok, well we'll leave you ladies to it, and we'll see you later, Lynwen." Elladan smiled at his sisters, and he and Estel made their way out of the bedroom. But not before Estel subtly brushed his fingers against Arwen's, quickly glancing at her lovingly, as he did so.

xxx

A few hours later, Arwen stood back and looked at her younger sister who was standing in front of her. "You look so beautiful, muinthel!" She said with a big smile upon her face.

Lynwen turned around to look at herself in her mirror. She had to admit, although she hated the things with a vengeance, the dress she was wearing was actually very beautiful. It was a burgundy coloured silk dress, that hugged at her body quite tightly, but flowed freely from her hips, down. It had a very wide neckline that fully exposed her shoulders, with black beading around the edge. The black beading was also evident at the middle of the dress, as it wound around the waist, creating a belt-like image. Arwen and pinned Lynwen's hair up in segments, creating a kind of messy up-style, that allowed some wavy strands to still hang freely down her neck and around her face.

"And for the final touch." Arwen said as she reached down to pick something up. "This will go on your head, like this." Arwen had placed a thin silver circlet upon Lynwen's head, her hair waving around it so natuarally, that it almost looked like it was a part of her.

"Happy Birthday, my dear Lynwen." Arwen said, as she gently embraced her sister. "Now, let's go. You wouldn't want to be late for your own party!"

xxx

Éomer was already in the Grand Hall for the party, along with most of Rivendell, it seemed. And he couldn't stop feeling ill and wanting to vomit all over again, every time he caught a glimpse of someone drinking wine. He'd also been really hungover that day, spending the entire afternoon in bed, in-between being sick. But he smiled to himself now as he thought back to the night before. It had been a really joyous night. Lynwen, he discovered, was not at all like the other women he knew. He found her incredibly daring and exciting, and he even chuckled to himself as he remembered how she had broken into the wine cellars, her skirts getting caught on the wood of the window frame as she was clambering, rather clumsily, through the window of the cellars, followed by the loud bang where she'd finally broken in, but had obviously fallen in her tipsy state, onto the floor.

He was really looking forward to seeing her again. And when the doors to the Grand Hall opened, and he saw Lynwen walking in looking incredibly beautiful, he knew then that he was completely and utterly smitten with this woman, and that he wanted no other.

He started to get nervous as they made eye contact with each other and Lynwen started to make her way across the hall towards him.

"Happy Birthday, Lynwen." Éomer bowed his head as she had approached him. He then lifted his head up to look at her again. "May I say that you look incredibly beautiful tonight."

Lynwen actually blushed a little at his words, and gently punched him at the top of his arm. "Shut up, Éomer!" She said, laughing a little nervously.

Éomer could only smile affectionately at her reaction as he continued to look at her, rubbing his arm in the process. For someone so small, he was surprised at how hard she could punch.

"This all looks very nice." Éomer finally said, as he looked around at the decorations that adorned the Great Hall. "You must be very well thought of!"

Lynwen just rolled her eyes. "My father enjoys making a big deal out of most things! I bet half of the people here would much rather be elsewhere at this moment." Lynwen said as she looked around at the many guests that were milling about the place.

xxx

As the night wore on, things started to pick up a bit. The music was playing loudly, the floor was full of people dancing, and above the music was the sound of laughter and chatting. It seemed that everyone was actually having a nice time. Lynwen had been dancing with Éomer for most of the night, grateful that he was helping her to stop thinking of Elrohir for a little while. She had noticed very early on in the evening that Elrohir was not there, and it pained her greatly to think that her best friend, and lover, hadn't bothered to show up for her special night.

She was broken from her recurring thoughts, by Éomer taking a hold of her hand and asking her to follow him outside. Lynwen nodded and began to follow him across the hall, and out through the glass doors that led into the gardens. Lynwen was feeling a little nervous by Éomer's bold actions, and started to dread what it was he wanted to talk about.

Éomer suddenly stopped walking once they were far into the gardens, well away from the main buildings of Rivendell. He turned around to face her, looking incredibly scared, and he took a hold of her hands in his while taking a deep breath.

"Lynwen." Éomer took another deep breath while looking down at their hands entwined together. "You've truly managed to capture my heart over these last two days." He brought his head up now to look at her, his eyes giving away just how nervous he was. "Lynwen, I... I know this may seem rushed, but it just feels so right." His grip on her hands had unknowingly tightened a little now, while he took another long deep breath, his eyes never breaking contact with hers "Will you do me the great honour of becoming my wife?" He looked at her expectantly, his eyes a little wide as he awaited her answer.

Lynwen couldn't prevent her mouth from dropping open in shock. She was not expecting a marriage proposal so soon! She didn't answer him for quite some time as she was trying to sift through the millions of thoughts that were running through her head at that moment. Elladan and Arwen's words were ringing in her mind, reminding her that this was the logical thing to do. To marry a fellow human made sense! And especially someone of his status. In her head she knew that to marry Éomer was the right path for her. But her heart was saying otherwise. Her heart was still holding out for Elrohir, aching every time she thought of his absence. She hated him for what he was doing to her, the hold that he still had over her, and she wished that she could just let him go! Should she say no to Éomer in the hope that Elrohir may come back to her? Or should she face the fact that there probably wasn't anything left here for her anymore, and so accept Éomer's proposal and leave for Rohan?

She was brought back from her thoughts by Éomer letting go of her hands and dropping his head to look at the floor. "I'm sorry Lynwen, it's too soon to ask such a thing. I don't know what I was thinking. Please accept my sincerest apologies, and..."

"Yes!" Lynwen couldn't believe the word that came out of her mouth. It just seemed to come out of its own accord, and she couldn't stop it! But she couldn't go back on it now. Éomer's head had snapped back up to look at her, shock written all over his face. But there was also a look of sheer and utter happiness in his eyes, and it broke her heart to see him looking so relieved at her acceptance of his proposal, that she knew she had to go along with this now.

"Lynwen, are you sure?" Éomer asked her, still looking shocked.

Lynwen thought for another moment, and knew that although her heart wasn't in this, her head was telling her that this was the sensible thing to do. And who knew? Maybe given enough time, her heart would allow her to let go of Elrohir and she could even begin to love Éomer. Yes, this was the only chance she was going to be given to help her move on. She needed to do this.

Lynwen brought her eyes back up to look at him, and smiled softly before she spoke. "Yes, Éomer. I'm sure."

Éomer's face broke out into a huge smile before he embraced Lynwen tightly and spun her around while they both laughed, before gently placing her feet back on the ground. After their laughter had died down, they continued to look at each other. Lynwen, feeling a little embarrassed by the intense moment, quickly looked away and down at the ground. Éomer still kept his gaze firmly fixed upon her, and smiled a little at her sudden shyness. He stepped forward so that he was now standing directly in front of her, their bodies almost touching. He brought up his hand and delicately placed it upon the side of her face, which forced Lynwen to look back up at him again. He slowly leant down towards her, and softly placed his lips upon hers. Lynwen felt herself stiffen a little at this, almost feeling like she was cheating on Elrohir. But she mentally shook herself. No, Elrohir has made his choice, she thought to herself, he made that clear when he took off five days ago!

And so, Lynwen allowed herself to relax into the kiss a little, but still kept her hands firmly at her sides even though Éomer now had both of his hands placed on the sides of her head.

The kiss was very gentle, and even a bit reserved, she thought to herself. But then again, the only person she could compare Éomer to, was Elrohir. And Elrohir had proven himself to be a very passionate being over the last few weeks, always enjoying their intimate moments when they were a little more rough with each other.

And after only a few moments, Éomer slowly pulled away his mouth from hers, but still kept his hands positioned at the sides of her head. He opened his eyes to look at her, and smiled affectionately as she looked back at him.

"You've made me a very happy man, Lynwen." He said, his face still very close to hers.

Lynwen could only bring herself to smile in response, before breaking their eye contact once again. Éomer dropped his hands from her head, and took a hold of one of her hands before he spoke again. "Maybe we should head back to the party to tell everyone the news!" He said, still smiling radiantly.

Lynwen suddenly felt panicked by his suggestion. A part of her was still having second thoughts about all of this, and she knew that once they had announced it to everyone, then that pretty much made it final.

But before she could protest, Éomer was dragging her through the gardens and back towards the main buildings. And within no time at all, they were walking back through the glass doors into the Grand Hall. Elrond noticed immediately the pair re-entering the hall, and could see that they were holding hands. He looked back up to see that Éomer had a huge smile on his face, and he wondered if they had good news to tell. Elrond quickly made his way across the hall towards them, and couldn't stop the smile that was making its way across his face. He stopped in front of the pair and looked at them expectantly.

"Where have you two been?" Elrond was looking back and forth between them, awaiting the news that he suspected he was going to hear.

Before Lynwen had a chance to reply, Éomer spoke up quickly and excitedly. "My Lord Elrond. Your wonderful daughter has just agreed to marry me!" Éomer couldn't hide the joy in his voice as he looked down at Lynwen.

Elrond's smile grew even wider, before he laughed happily, embracing Lynwen tightly in his arms. As he pulled away from her, he gave her a kiss on the cheek before he spoke. "You have made your very old Ada, a very happy ellon!"

Lynwen just smiled sheepishly, suddenly feeling incredibly suffocated.

Elrond then turned to face Éomer and shook his hand while placing his free hand onto his shoulder. "I trust you will take good care of her?" Elrond's face had become a bit more sterner as he said this.

"Of course, my lord. You have my word." Éomer replied, still smiling widely.

Before Lynwen knew it, Elladan, Estel and Arwen and appeared next to them. "What's happening?" Arwen asked.

Elrond turned around to face his other children, still holding the happy grin upon his face. "Lynwen has accepted Lord Éomer's marriage proposal. They are engaged!"

Her siblings immediately looked towards Lynwen, all looking a little shocked. But after a few moments, they all smiled, with Estel wishing them both a congratulations. Elladan and Arwen, she noticed, both gave her a subtle wink and a supportive smile, making it clear that they were proud of her for taking their advice, and moving on from Elrohir.

But she didn't feel like she had moved on, at all. In fact, she just felt even more lost and confused.

xxx

The last of the guests had left the party around midnight, and Lynwen decided to leave not long after that. After she had wished her family a goodnight, and Éomer had excitedly arranged plans with her for them to spend the following day together, she slowly made her way up the open-air corridors towards her bed chambers, deeply inhaling the cool night air that was mixed with the sweet subtle smell of the white lunar flowers that opened up in the moonlight.

Once she was inside her room, and had made sure her bedroom door was firmly locked behind her, she walked over to her bedroom window, not bothering to light any candles on her way. Right now, she preferred to just be alone in the dark, with only the dim light of the moon casting it's silver shadow ever so softly around her room. She placed her elbows on the windowsill and leant her chin in the palm of her hands, gazing out at the night sky. "What the hell have I got myself into?" She quietly mumbled to herself, while sighing deeply.

"Do you want to marry him?"

Lynwen jumped and spun around at the calm, smooth voice that unexpectedly came from behind her. Her room was dark, but she could just make out the figure of a male beginning to stand up from their previously sitting position in the armchair that was on the opposite side of her room. Lynwen was frozen to the spot in complete shock, she was too stunned to move. And this male figure was now standing completely still on the other side of her room, his body just a tall, slim, and even a menacing looking, silhouette, due to the silver moonlight shining in through the bedroom window.

But Lynwen wasn't at all frightened by this tall dark figure standing in her bedroom completely uninvited. She wasn't frightened, because she had instantly recognised that smooth, deep voice, as soon as he had startled her from her thoughts. Her heart was now pounding in her chest uncontrollably, her breathing becoming slightly faster, for she knew that this tall dark figure who was standing before her, was Elrohir.


	11. A Passionate Forgiveness

_**WARNING! This chapter contains explicit sexual content!**_

Chapter 11 - A Passionate Forgiveness

Neither of them moved for quite some time. Lynwen was too stunned to move, let alone answer his question. She'd been rehearsing in her head all week as to what she would say to Elrohir when she finally found herself face to face with him again. All her hurt, her anger, her desperation to put things right, she'd had all these emotions put into words, just waiting for the opportunity to be able to shout them in his face.

And here he was, finally stood directly in front of her. But all her rehearsed words had completely escaped her! She couldn't think what she wanted to say to him. She couldn't decide what she was even feeling at this precise moment. Was she angry? Was she happy? Did she want to punch him? Or did she want to embrace him tightly, and never let go? She just didn't know!

Elrohir hadn't moved an inch, and remained standing completely still on the other side of Lynwen's bedroom. He'd only been gone for six days, but he'd realised quite quickly that he'd missed her and knew that he needed to see her again. He had arrived back in Rivendell just a couple of hours ago in the hope of reconciling their relationship, but he had not been expecting to have been met with the news that Lynwen was now engaged! It infuriated him to think of another man even thinking about touching Lynwen in the way he had done so many times, and he wanted nothing more, than to kill this Éomer for trying to take Lynwen, _his _Lynwen, from him!

Elrohir took a few slow steps across her bedroom towards her, and stopped when he was a couple of feet in front of her. With him now standing closer to the window, Lynwen could see him more clearly as he stood in the moonlight. His straight, jet-black hair, was tied back in a low ponytail, a few short strands hanging loosely around his face. And maybe it was just the lack of lighting in the room, but all his clothes appeared to be dark-coloured, which consisted of a pair of breeches, knee high boots, and a loosely fitted buttoned shirt. Lynwen looked back up from his clothing, and met his intense stare, his beautiful grey eyes boring right into her, his expression serious, even angry.

"Do you want to marry him?" Elrohir quietly asked her again, his voice almost quivering with the anger that was evident in his eyes. His positioning completely unmoved.

Lynwen just stared right back at him for a few moments, still trying to deal with the shock of finding him here in her bedroom waiting for her, before she eventually answered. "You know I don't." She said, her voice very quiet, but very sure. Her concentrated stare never leaving his.

Elrohir took a few deep breaths, his intense gaze still fixed upon her, his posture still unmoved. "_Will _you marry him?"

Lynwen noticed how his eyes suddenly appeared very dark in colour, and seemed to be full of a mixture of extreme anger, but also of the passion that she'd seen in them many times during their love affair. And she could see that they were now desperately searching hers for an answer. She continued to look back at him, not breaking their eye contact. Her expression was pensive where she was trying to sift through all the thoughts that were going through her mind, trying to process her sudden engagement to Éomer, and what it was that Elrohir was now asking her. After a few moments, she quietly and slowly answered him. "I _will _marry him, if there is nothing left here for me, anymore."

Elrohir stiffened a little at Lynwen's words, his eyes seeming to grow darker in colour. Lynwen noticed his reaction, and so, she slowly continued. "Is there... anything left here for me?" She asked, her eyes desperately searching his for an answer.

Elrohir's expression didn't change. He still looked at Lynwen with the same fury flashing in his eyes, his jaw flexing with the rage that he was feeling. Rage at this impostor daring to take his woman from him. Rage at Lynwen for accepting the impostor's marriage proposal. And rage at himself for leaving her, and allowing these events to unfold in his absence. He continued to stand there unmoving, staring at her with an overwhelming passion and fury, but he didn't answer her.

Lynwen suddenly found herself feeling infuriated at Elrohir's silence. She was so angry at the fact that he'd taken off and left her unexpectedly, six days ago, and was now standing here demanding information about her engagement to Éomer, and even had the cheek to be getting angry about it! How dare he! She thought to herself. And now she was holding out an olive branch with her last question, but he was refusing to take it?!

She suddenly had difficulty catching her breath, her chest beginning to rise rapidly up and down. She couldn't control all these mixture of emotions that were soaring through her. She desperately wanted to beat him, and passionately kiss him simultaneously! She hated and loved him, all at the same time! And she couldn't prevent her right fist from clenching and taking a hard swing towards Elrohir's face, her anger and frustration towards him, quickly taking over her body! But Elrohir was too quick for her. He'd brought up his left hand so fast that Lynwen didn't see it coming until he had already taken a firm grip of her wrist, stopping her attack in mid-air. Without thinking, she'd brought up her left hand in another attempt to strike him, but again, Elrohir's unnaturally fast reflexes, had stopped her again, his right hand now keeping a firm grip of her left wrist.

Lynwen's breathing was getting out of control, her rage towards him for what he'd put her through over the last week, was taking over. Elrohir still had a strong hold of both of her wrists in mid-air, his expression still serious, but his eyes seemed to be alight with only passion now, as they continued to bore into hers.

Lynwen brought up one of her feet in an attempt to kick him, but again, Elrohir was too quick and had blocked that too with his leg. And soon enough, he had thrown Lynwen to the floor, bringing himself down on top of her as her attempts to attack him with her legs had become more violent. He now had her pinned to the ground on her back, him lying on top of her. His firm grip still on her wrists which were outstretched above her head, and his legs were strategically placed on top of hers so that she was unable to move an inch.

"Get off me!" Lynwen growled through gritted teeth. "I swear, I'll kill you!"

Elrohir just smirked, ever so slightly, at her threat, his face only a couple of centimetres from hers. "I'd like to see you try, little one." he breathed on to her lips, before he slowly moved his head so that his mouth was grazing the side of her neck, his breathing becoming more rapid. "I'm so sorry for leaving you like that, Lynwen. Please forgive me. I've missed you so much!" He softly breathed onto her skin, before he began to place feather light kisses up and down the entire length of her neck.

His boldness enraged Lynwen even more, and she began her attempt to move and free her body from under him by trying to pull her wrists from his strong hold, and wriggle her legs from under his weight. But he kept his grip on her body firmly, preventing her from escaping.

He then brought his head up from the side of her neck, and suddenly crashed his lips down upon hers, kissing her with incredible force, and desperate passion.

Lynwen managed to break her lips free from his, and abruptly turned her head away from him. Her anger was now at boiling point. All she wanted to do was to lash out at him and hurt him badly. "Ro, I swear to you, I will kill you if you don't get off me, now!" Lynwen growled at him, her face still turned away from his.

This only seemed to encourage Elrohir even more, his hot breath panting onto Lynwen's neck. "I love it when you're angry" he breathed into her ear, sensually, before he seductively, and extremely slowly, began to drag the tip of his tongue all the way up the outer edge of her ear, causing Lynwen's eyes to close and a loud gasp to escape her lips.

Lynwen couldn't prevent the emotions from suddenly changing within her. Her anger towards him was still there, but her lust for him was beginning to come to the forefront. The area between her legs was starting to react rapidly to his bold and forceful actions, and she unknowingly bucked her hips up off the floor to meet with his, as he continued to lick and nibble at her ear.

Elrohir's body immediately reacted to the feel of Lynwen pressing her hips into his, and his elf-hood grew hard extremely fast! His desperation to be once again, physically joined with this woman lying underneath him, was now clearly evident in his breeches. And he slowly and firmly thrust his erection into the space between Lynwen's legs, letting out a deep groan as he did so. His mouth was still hovering over her ear, and his hot ragged breath was igniting her skin and filling Lynwen with passion.

She abruptly turned her head back to face him, and hungrily took a hold of his mouth with hers, kissing him with a desperate yearning. Elrohir happily obliged and began kissing her back with the same force, both of them eagerly exploring each other's mouths with their tongues. Both of them gasping as they frantically had their open mouths firmly pressed up against each other's, desperate to once again, taste the other.

Elrohir released his grip from Lynwen's left wrist, which had still been positioned above her head, and he brought down his right hand and aggressively took a hold of her left breast, his kiss deepening into her mouth.

Lynwen still had a mixture of emotions souring through her body towards Elrohir; love, hate, anger, lust, they were all powering through her at a hundred miles per hour! And as soon as Elrohir had let go of her wrist, she saw her opportunity to unleash her rage, and she slapped Elrohir, hard, across the side of his head. This action caused Elrohir to pull away from their kiss and aggressively grab a hold of her wrist again, throwing her arm into the floor above her head, trapping her in his hold, once more.

"You're only encouraging me further, little one." He breathed heavily onto her lips, before he began to devour her mouth again.

Lynwen moaned into the kiss, and kissed him back just has hard, her body desperately trying to press against his as she continued to buck her hips off the floor, revelling in the feel of his hard erection pressed up against the space between her legs.

Elrohir decided to take a risk by letting go of her wrists above her head again, so that he could promptly begin to rip off her clothes. As he let go of her wrists, and still not removing their mouths from each other's, Lynwen immediately brought down her hands and grabbed a hold of his shirt, violently tearing it open and causing the buttons to come flying off. His bare chest was now fully exposed, with him still hovering above her. Their kissing each other still rough and desperate, when Lynwen, still holding a mixture of resentment and passion towards him, viciously dragged her nails down the bare skin of his chest, causing Elrohir to throw his head back and cry out in pain.

After taking a couple of deep breaths, trying to ignore the immense stinging of the skin on his chest, he looked back down at Lynwen who was still lying on her back underneath him, staring right into his eyes. Her expression was a mixture of desire and resentment, her breathing erratically out of control as her chest was heaving up and down quickly. Elrohir's yearning to make mad, passionate, love to Lynwen, had increased dramatically after her aggressive actions. And the way she looked right now lying on the floor, her face full of anger and passion, only fuelled his desire even more. He had to take her now! He couldn't wait another second! He swiftly removed the remainder of his shirt from his back, and reached down into his boot, pulling out his hunting knife which he then held up above Lynwen's chest.

Lynwen's eyes widened with shock at the sharp blade that he was holding above her, the metal glistening in the moonlight, and the look on his face was one of lust-filled determination. Elrohir brought down the blade and placed it under the neckline of her dress, directly between her breasts. He then quickly, and very skillfully, sliced the full length of her dress and underwear in two, inciting a shocked gasp from Lynwen, before he hungrily peeled the material back from her now, naked body. He threw the knife to one side before placing his hands around Lynwen's back, bringing her up into a sitting position, him now on his knees. He then completely tore the remainder of her dress and underwear from her body, tossing them across the bedroom, before placing his hand at the back of her head and began kissing her passionately. Their tongues once again, fighting for dominance.

Elrohir pulled away from their kiss after only a few moments, and stood up from the floor as he promptly began to remove his boots and breeches, also tossing them across the bedroom.

Lynwen, at seeing his perfectly toned naked body and very erect shaft, seductively laid back down on the floor, slowly opening her legs, silently begging him to join her. Elrohir didn't need any more convincing, and he threw himself back down on top of her, placing himself between her spread legs before he vigourously thrust his large, erect, elf-hood deep inside her, causing them both to cry out at the immense pleasure they instantly felt at being joined together, again.

Elrohir started to passionately kiss her once more, his hips thrusting his erection in and out of her, hard! Lynwen reached around to the back of his head and ripped out his hair-tie, tearing a few of his hairs from his head in the process, but freeing his long hair and allowing it to hang loosely in front of him. She reached up her hands and began to run her fingers through is smooth, black, mane, her legs wrapping firmly around his waist, her hips bucking upwards to meet his every harsh and vigourous thrust.

Elrohir then placed his hands around her back and lifted her up off the floor, and with her legs still wrapped tightly around his waist, he proceeded to stand up completely, his hard shaft still fully sheathed inside of her. He walked the few steps towards the edge of her bedroom, and forcefully threw her back against the wall, inciting a painful groan from Lynwen as her back forcefully met with the hard surface behind her, before he continued to thrust into her again.

Lynwen still had a hold of his hair, and she brutally pulled at it, causing his head to fall backwards. She leaned her face down next to the side of his head, while her hips fell into the rough rhythm that he had set, before she panted into his ear, "I hate you!" She growled, as she bit down on the tip of his pointed ear.

Elrohir moaned deeply at this action before he roughly took a hold of her hands, and planted them into the wall either side of Lynwen's head, causing her to gasp in pain, again. "I know." He snarled back at her, before he rampantly started to thrust in and out of her again, his head leaning back as he relished in the pleasure he was feeling, feral grunts now escaping his lips.

Lynwen was feeling an equal amount of pleasure, and couldn't contain the loud moans that were now coming from her mouth. The beautiful sight of Elrohir's contorted face before her, causing her hips to frantically meet with his deep, powerful thrusts. "Ritho! Hortho! (Harder! Faster!)" She cried out.

Elrohir released her hands from their position against the wall, and grabbed a hold of her hips, before he began pounding into her at such a speed and force, that Lynwen knew her back was going to be covered in bruises by the way her body was being repeatedly hammered against the wall.

Lynwen could then feel her climax building up inside her, fast! She grabbed a hold of Elrohir's hair once again, entwining it in her fingers and gripping it hard as she cried out, "Caro! Caro! (Yes!)". She closed her eyes before leaning forward and embracing Elrohir tightly in her arms, biting into his shoulder so hard that he cried out at the pain! Her body now began to violently shake from the enormous orgasm that was surging through her whole body, the feel of Elrohir's hard shaft still buried deep inside her.

Elrohir was only seconds behind her, erupting into his own explosive orgasm, his hot seed filling her completely. He clung on to her tightly as well, groaning deeply into her neck as the last of his seed was finally spilled within her.

It was probably the most intense, explosive, and aggressive sex, they had had together yet, and his legs were shaking and threatening to buckle underneath him. He walked them both over to her bed, and lowered them both down onto the blankets, Lynwen still clinging to him tightly, as they both now laid on their sides facing each other.

After a few minutes of holding on to each other, Elrohir subtly began to place gentle kisses on her shoulder, the rest of his body still completely worn out and exhausted, and unable to move. Lynwen slowly released her firm grip on him, and brought her head back a little to look at him, an affectionate smile upon her face as she gazed into his grey eyes.

"I've missed you too." She said, almost in a whisper.

Elrohir looked at her questioningly, his brow furrowed at her comment, for it sounded like she was responding to him saying those words, first?

Lynwen saw the confusion in his face and laughed a little at his expression.

"When you had me pinned on the floor, before." She gestured her head to the area of the bedroom in question. "You told me that you'd missed me so much." She reminded him, still smiling at his puzzled face.

Elrohir immediately broke out into a smile as he remembered those words he'd said to her, earlier. "Ah yes! I did say that, you're right." He said as he looked upwards, as if trying to think back. He then reached up his hand and began to rub the side of his head while frowning a little. "I think you must have temporarily knocked that memory out of my brain, when you smacked me across the head!"

Lynwen burst out laughing at this, and gently pushed Elrohir's shoulder backwards a little, inciting a deep-hearted laugh from him. After their laughter had died down a little, Lynwen then leant up on her elbow and rested her head in the palm of her hand, looking down at Elrohir.

"Yes, but you deserved it." She said quietly, and a little more seriously.

Elrohir then leant up on his elbow too, his expression now changed and instead, looking a little sorrowful and full of regret. He placed his free hand at the side of her face, gently intwining his fingers in her hair. "Aye, I did deserve it, Lynwen. And I'm sorry that I left you the way that I did." He continued to look into her eyes, a look of longing now evident in his, before he took a deep breath and hesitantly continued on. "And I hope that you'll forgive me and take me back?" He asked, hope evident in his voice.

Lynwen only smiled at his words. She felt so happy to have Elrohir back with her again, that nothing else mattered. Not even her new fiancée! She leaned in to Elrohir and subtly placed her lips upon his, kissing him ever so slowly, and passionately.

She knew at that moment, that Elrohir was always going to be able to have a strong, emotional hold over her, no matter which direction their lives ended up taking. She couldn't help it! Elrohir had an amazing ability to make her fall head over heels for him, no matter what! And she couldn't imagine her life without him. He was her rock, a pillar for her to lean on, and her purpose for now wanting to remain in Rivendell.

She just didn't know how this was going to be achieved, now that she was engaged to someone else!


	12. A Secret, No More

_**WARNING!- This chapter contains sexual content!**_

Chapter 12- A Secret, No More

The next morning, Lynwen quietly tip-toed back across her bedroom from her bathroom, after quickly brushing her teeth and making herself look a bit more presentable, before she silently crawled back in her bed and laid back down next to a soundly sleeping Elrohir. He was lying on his stomach, his head resting on its side so he was facing in her direction, his left arm was lying flush along the side of his naked body, and his right arm was bent at the elbow with his hand positioned on the pillow in front of his face. The blanket was only covering the bottom half of his body, with his smooth, toned back, fully exposed to her. His long black hair was spread messily all over the pillow and over his shoulders, reflecting in the rays of the sunlight that were illuminating his ivory skin. Lynwen couldn't take her eyes off him. He truly was perfect!

Lynwen bent down from her position next to him, and began to place gentle kisses from the base of his back, all the way up the entire length of his spine, before seductively gliding her tongue over his strong muscular shoulders. She was so completely and utterly lost in the taste and feel of his silky skin, that she jumped a little when her face came to within a hair's breadth of his, to find that his eyes were fully open and staring right at her. A slight smirk then appeared on his face after seeing her startled expression, as he continued to lie in his position on his stomach.

"I'm sorry if I woke you." Lynwen said to him softly after she'd gotten over her little shock, her fingers seductively stroking his bare back and shoulders.

Elrohir then, unexpectedly, sprang up from his lying position, startling Lynwen in the process, and threw her down on her back, with him now lying on top of her, his hands supporting his weight.

"No you're not." He said to her while smirking cheekily, before he captured her lips with his in an enthusiastic kiss, one of his hands now gliding down the side of her naked body. Lynwen gasped into his mouth as his hand had come to rest between her legs, two of his fingers now slowly beginning to enter her, when...

"Lynwen?" Anira's voice sounded through the bedroom door followed by a few hard knocks on the wood.

Lynwen couldn't hide her immense disappointment at them being disturbed, and she sighed heavily into Elrohir's mouth, while he withdrew his fingers and dropped his head in frustration.

"Lynwen, open the door! You're meeting Lord Éomer in one hour and you need to get ready!"

Elrohir stiffened at the mention of Éomer's name, his hands still supporting his weight above Lynwen. He brought his head back up to look at Lynwen, his jaw now flexed at the anger that he was feeling at being reminded of that impostor who was trying to take _his _Lynwen from him.

Lynwen knew she needed to get rid of Anira immediately, for if she knew Elrohir was in here, there would be hell to pay! "I'm just heading into the shower, Anira. Can you come back in half an hour?" Lynwen shouted towards her door in her desperation to deter her hand maiden for as long as possible.

"Fine! But I'll be back in half an hour, exactly!" Anira called back, before she could be heard walking away down the corridor.

Lynwen could see Elrohir's sudden change in emotion, and continued to look back up at him for a few moments, feeling extremely anxious about how he was going to react to the words she was about to speak.

"Ro... she's right... I... I do have plans to meet with Éomer today." She said, hesitantly. Her eyes revealing her apprehension as she awaited his reaction.

Elrohir's eyes darkened at hearing Lynwen's words as he continued looking down at her, his jaw flexing even more, and his rage becoming more apparent by the way his body had stiffened.

"You plan on meeting with him, still?" He quietly snarled at her through gritted teeth.

Lynwen only continued to look up at him, unsure of how to reply. Of course, she would much prefer to stay here with Elrohir, but she couldn't cancel her plans with Éomer, now. It would look too suspicious. But she knew Elrohir would not see it that way.

After he'd gotten no response from her, he abruptly pushed himself up from his position on top of her, and leapt off the bed, walking over to where he'd thrown his clothes the night before, angrily picking them up off the floor before beginning to aggressively pull on his breeches.

Lynwen slowly sat up on the bed, bringing her legs over the side so her feet were now resting on the floor, where she was now facing him. She was now holding the blanket tightly around herself, suddenly feeling a little awkward at being naked.

"Ro, please don't do this." She softly begged him from her position on the bed. But Elrohir didn't even look at her. Instead he continued to angrily pull on his breeches, his jaw still clenching at the mere thought of Éomer, and of Lynwen's determination to still meet with him today.

Lynwen slowly stood up from the bed still holding the blanket around herself, her face looking worried. Worried that Elrohir may just end up leaving her again. He really was such an unpredictable character, and she wouldn't put it past him to just take off like he did a week before.

"Ro?" She quietly called to him from her standing position next to her bed. Her eyes pleading with him to remain and talk to her. But she got nothing.

"Ro?" She said a little louder this time, but Elrohir continued to ignore her, and was now just shaking his shirt vigourously in front of him where he wasn't able to find which way was inside out, in his temper-fuelled daze. His frustration clearly evident in his aggressive actions, and his now heavily furrowed brow.

After a few moments of patiently awaiting a response from him, Lynwen could suddenly feel herself getting angry. She couldn't believe that he was ignoring her! And was he was actually daring to walk out on her, again?! She suddenly marched across the bedroom towards him, aggressively snatching the shirt from his hands as she came to a stop directly in front of him.

"Why are you doing this?!" She demanded, her voice slightly raised. Elrohir looked down at her now, his face still showing his anger, but also a bit of surprise at Lynwen's sudden actions. But Lynwen didn't really give him a chance to reply before she quickly continued speaking, her voice now even more raised.

"Is this the way it's going to be, Ro?! You just taking off whenever something doesn't quite go your way?! And then expecting me to wait around, for goodness knows how long, before you eventually get over your sulk, and decide to come back to me?! Well I'm not going to stand for it anymore, Ro! If you want to leave, then I'm not going to stop you. But don't expect me to wait for you!"

Lynwen was furious, her eyes were alight with the rage she was feeling, but were also threatening to spill a couple of stray tears due to the surge of emotions that were running through her at that moment.

"And for the love of Elbereth! It goes this way!" She shouted while turning his shirt the right way around, and holding it up in front of him.

Elrohir was silent, and he looked completely stunned as he hesitantly took his shirt from her. He hadn't been expecting Lynwen to verbally attack him like that. But he suddenly felt a little silly now, for he knew that her words rung true. She was right.

Lynwen looked at him one last time, her face now just looking sorrowful and disappointed, before she slowly turned away from him and began walking back towards her bed. Elrohir quickly reached out his hand and grabbed a hold of her upper arm, preventing her from walking away. He turned her back around and pulled her towards him so that they were now facing each other again, before he reached up and cupped her face with both of his hands and looked at her pleadingly.

"I'm sorry, Lynwen. Truly, I am." He quietly said, while never taking his eyes from hers. He took a deep breath before he continued. "I suppose... I'm just finding this... engagement of yours, a little hard to take." Elrohir dropped his head and looked down at the floor after he spoke.

Lynwen couldn't prevent the overwhelming feeling of guilt stabbing at her heart as she looked at Elrohir, now. She knew it was wrong of him to take off the way that he did, but he should never have had to come back to news that she was now engaged to someone else. She could only begin to imagine how he must be feeling.

Still holding the blanket around herself with her left hand, she reached up her right hand, placing her finger under his chin and tilted his head back up to look at her. Her heart ached even more when she noticed how his eyes looked full of hurt and sadness, and she moved her hand from his chin to his cheek, where she softly began to stroke his skin with her fingertips.

"I'm the one who's sorry, Ro. I should never have accepted his marriage proposal." Lynwen said, as she dropped her hand back down to her side. She continued to look into his eyes for a few moments before taking a deep breath and continuing on. "But you have to understand, Ro. I had no idea if you were ever coming back. And everyone was telling me that marrying Éomer was the only option for me. That I'd finally have an opportunity to be with my own kind, and that I wouldn't feel so alone anymore."

Elrohir felt such sadness at hearing her last words. It was because of Lynwen's lack of friends, that he'd taken her under his wing all those years ago, never wanting her to feel lonely, ever again. But it would appear that she was still searching for some type of companionship in her life, clearly still feeling very isolated, and it depressed him immensely to think that she could be unhappy in her life.

His fingers slid into her hair some more, his palms still cupping her face, as he looked into her eyes with such adoration and compassion. He felt so strongly for Lynwen, and had such an overwhelming desire to protect her. And he knew he'd, very happily, spend the rest of her days ensuring that she was happy.

"I do understand, Lynwen, and I completely blame myself for putting you in that situation. But I do need to know... will you choose me, or him?" Elrohir unknowingly held his breath after he'd asked her, nervously anticipating her response. But Lynwen just smiled up at him, loving how he could be so blind sometimes. "Didn't I make that clear to you, last night?" She asked him, her smile still spread across her face, her eyes glinting a little cheekily.

Elrohir let out the breath he'd been holding in, and smiled widely at her suggestive question, those faint laughter lines that Lynwen loved so much, were etched into his smooth, creamy skin, and his grey eyes were flashing with happiness, and their usual mischievousness. He leant his head down, and rested his forehead against hers.

"Aye, you did make it clear after the third time!" He said, while letting out a little laugh as he remembered back to their lust-filled antics the night before. His expression then became more serious as he spoke again. "And I promise you, Lynwen, I'll never allow anything, or _anyone_, to come between us again." He said to her, before he gently brought his lips down upon hers.

After a few moments of them softly kissing each other, they slowly broke apart, Elrohir leaning his forehead against hers once again. Lynwen looked up into his eyes, her face now looking a little worried as she asked him. "What am I going to do about Éomer?"

Elrohir sighed deeply and closed his eyes, still relishing in the feel of her warm skin against his face, but now feeling a little anxious at this problem that they were both now faced with.

"You're going to have to break off the engagement, Lynwen. It's the only thing you can do."

Lynwen gulped at Elrohir's words, and at the reality of the situation. This was the last position she wanted to find herself in! Having to break off the engagement with Éomer was truly going to be a horrible experience. And she knew that he was going to be crushed, which made her feel so guilty. And then there was Ada! What was he going to say?!

"Do I tell Éomer the truth? About me and you, I mean" She asked him.

Elrohir shook his head. "No, you cannot tell anyone about us. Not yet. Just tell him that you made a mistake and that you're not ready to be married to anyone, and that you want to remain here in Imladris." Elrohir instructed her as he subtly stroked her hair.

Lynwen took a deep breath before she spoke. "And what about Ada? He's going to want to know why I've had a sudden change of heart..."

"Just concentrate on Éomer, and leave Ada to me." Elrohir said, his expression looking quite serious again, but his eyes were boring right into Lynwen's, ensuring her that all would be ok.

Lynwen nodded her understanding, dreading the moment she'd have to face Éomer again, and then having to break it all off with him!

"It'll all be alright, Lynwen. I promise you." Elrohir said after he could see her worried expression. He smiled at her reassuringly and then leaned down again to kiss her softly, his tongue gently caressing her own.

Lynwen always felt so safe and reassured in Elrohir's arms, forgetting all her worries outside of their intimate moments they shared together. And while she was kissing him with the same desire, Lynwen brought up both of her hands and run them through his long hair, causing the blanket that she had been holding to cover her naked body, to fall to the floor and pool around her feet. But she didn't even notice, too lost was she in the affectionate moment.

Elrohir reached down and scooped her up in his arms, walking them both over to the bed and placing her on top of the sheets before lying himself down on top of her, kissing her with even more yearning.

Lynwen suddenly felt his hardness pressed up against the inside of her bare thigh, and she abruptly pulled away from their kiss. "Ro, we can't! Anira will come back for me soon."

Elrohir just smirked as he looked down at her lying underneath him. "Do not worry, little one, for I am sure that I will be very quick." He said to her through slightly ragged breaths, his face now breaking out into an even bigger smile as he laughed at his admission.

Lynwen also laughed at his comment, and promptly wrapped her arms around his shoulders again, pulling him back into a passionate kiss, where they made love, once more.

xxx

Lynwen was walking through the gardens around an hour later, slowly making her way to the stables where she was due to be meeting Éomer. She couldn't help trying to stall their meeting, by stopping next to most of the plants in the gardens and admiring their sweet scents and bright colours, all the while, trying to find the courage to face him again. Her stomach was turning as she finally approached the stables because she could see Éomer already waiting outside sat upon his horse, her own horse saddled up, and standing next to his. His face lit up and broke out into a huge smile when he saw her approaching.

"Good morning, Lynwen." He said to her as she approached him. "I took the liberty of getting your horse ready for you." He was now holding out the reins for her to take.

"Thank you Éomer." Lynwen said quietly, almost feeling too ashamed to look him directly in the eye. She took the reins from him, and climbed up on her horse, shocking Éomer by the way she had to pull up her skirts to allow her to put a leg on either side of the saddle, the black knee-high boots she was wearing under her dress, now clearly visible to him.

"I had such a wonderful time last night." He said to her, forcing himself to bring his eyes away from her legs, and back up to look at her face.

Lynwen smiled a little nervously, and only looked at him out of the corner of her eye, still not being able to look at him directly. "Yes, me too." Was all she could bring herself to say.

"Ok, well you are my guide today, Lynwen. So you can show me all that Rivendell has to offer!" He said to her enthusiastically.

Lynwen looked around them a few times, before turning her head back to face him. "Is it not customary for courtships to be chaperoned in Rohan?" Lynwen asked him after she could see that they were completely alone.

"Aye it is." He replied as he leaned his head towards her. "But we're not in Rohan, are we?" He said as his face broke out into a smile again. He then gestured his hand out in front of them. "Lead the way, my lady." He said to her, still smiling widely.

They both spent the entire day making their way around Rivendell, Lynwen pointing out areas she thought he might be interested in, and explaining some of the history of the place, and how it all came to be. They had stopped at midday next to one of the waterfalls, where they'd sat down on the grass bank of the river, and had eaten the packed lunch that Éomer had brought for them. It had been a beautifully sunny day, with not a single cloud in the sky. And the sun had been at it's highest point during that hour they'd spent eating their lunch, which caused the surface of the river to glisten, and the thundering waterfall to sparkle, as it cascaded down the cliff face. It was such a beautiful sight, and Lynwen had instantly felt guilty for thinking that she'd much rather be sharing this moment with Elrohir, rather than Éomer.

There was only around an hour left until sunset when they both made their way back to the stables. As they lead their horses across the cobbled courtyard, they were met by Glandur, the young stable-hand, who swiftly retrieved the horses from the pair after they had dismounted. They both stood in silence for a few moments as they watched Glandur leading the horses away, before Lynwen broke the silence.

"Well, I'd better be getting back." She said to Éomer as she started walking away from him, her head tilted down, purposely not looking at him.

But Éomer had quickly grabbed a hold of her hand, pulling her back to him where he then, unexpectedly, planted his lips on to hers, startling Lynwen with his bold actions. It took her a couple of seconds to realise what was happening, before she quickly pulled away from him.

"Éomer, we shouldn't do that in public." She said, not really caring about what others would think, but she just didn't know how else to explain her pushing him away.

"You're right Lynwen, I'm sorry." He said, with a slight bow of his head. "But when I look at you, and the way the setting sun is lighting up your beautiful face in warm, glowing colours, well, I'm afraid I just can't help myself."

Lynwen didn't know whether to laugh or throw up at his words. She wasn't one for soppy romantic admissions, especially ones as cheesy as that! But she instantly felt sorry for him, for she knew that he actually meant every word of it. She could see the admiration he held for her, burning in his eyes, and knew that he wasn't just trying to woo her. He was simply speaking the truth. And that just made breaking it off with him, even more difficult. She knew he was going to be heart-broken. She had bottled out of finishing it with him today, just never finding the right moment to do so, and wondered if she would ever be brave enough to finally do it.

Lynwen then realised that she had been silent for quite a few moments, and saw Éomer looking at her expectantly, and even a little nervously. It looked like he was now regretting his poetic words, for Lynwen hadn't responded. She mentally shook herself, before she answered.

"You're too kind, Éomer." She said with a forced smile on her face, wishing that she was able to conjure up the courage to compliment him, too. But she couldn't bring herself to lie. That wouldn't be fair to him, she thought to herself. Instead, she just needed to get away from him, and quickly!

"Ok... so I'd better be going..." Lynwen said as she started to walk away from him again.

"Will I not escort you to dinner, Lynwen?" Éomer called after her.

Lynwen stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at him. He was still stood in the same position she had rudely left him in, but still looking at her with such adoration. She hated herself for leading him on like this. She knew she should never have accepted his marriage proposal, and she knew now that she had only done it to try to forget about Elrohir. She had shamelessly used Éomer to try and move on from Elrohir, and that was so completely unfair to poor Éomer. But knowing that she was going to have to find the courage from somewhere over the next couple of days, to end this engagement, she didn't think it necessary to give him any more false hopes by accepting his offer to dinner.

"Umm, I'm actually not very hungry, Éomer, so I don't think I'll go to dinner this evening." Was all she could bring herself to say as she looked at him for a few more moments, seeing the confusion in his face. She felt the guilt, tug at her heart at seeing his expression, but she reluctantly turned and walked away from him, leaving him standing there feeling bewildered.

xxx

Three days later, and Lynwen had still not broken off her engagement with Éomer. And she had even continued with their meetings during the day, much to the disapproval of Elrohir, but much to the excitement of her father.

Her and Elrohir had actually had a huge argument about the whole thing the night before, when they had been sat in their usual place on top of the valley. Elrohir was unable to understand why Lynwen had still not ended this engagement, and sent Éomer packing back to Rohan. She had tried to calmly explain her reasons of feeling guilty, to Elrohir, but this had just made him erupt into an enormous, audible fury, even more, causing Lynwen's anger to rise, and to suddenly pull off her boot in her desperation to find something to attack him with. Before Elrohir had chance to register what was happening, she had swung her boot hard, smacking him with it across the top of his arm. She had then abruptly stood up and hobbled back down the hillside, still wearing only one boot, and leaving Elrohir sat there in stunned silence, stroking his bruised arm.

It was impossible to make Elrohir see things her way, as he was just so extremely stubborn But in his defence, she knew she should have ended this engagement to Éomer straight away, but every time she came face to face with him, and was met with his heart-warming smile and obvious adoration for her, she just couldn't bring herself to break his heart. And also, she just didn't think she'd ever be ready to face the millions of questions from her family, especially from her father, as to why she had broken off the engagement, knowing that her relationship with Elrohir must remain a secret at all costs!

So after spending another day with Éomer horse riding around Rivendell, Lynwen was now stood in the stables alone, stroking the nose of one of the horses and talking to it quietly. She had always found it so therapeutic to do this, finding that the horses always seemed to relax and listen to every word she was saying. Right now, she was talking to Elrohir's horse, a jet-black stallion with a temper, and an unruly personality, to match that of his owner's. But at this moment, the stallion was allowing Lynwen to gently stroke the side of his head while he seemed to be listening to what Lynwen had been up to that day, softly nudging his head into her hands every time she had stopped stroking him. Lynwen truly loved this horse. He was a bit hard to handle, and so all the elves tended to avoid him when at all possible, but she never did. She loved his wild spirit and his determination to go where he wanted, eager to explore the world around him. She found she could relate to him in a way, for she had always wanted the same things for herself. She sighed to herself now, wondering if she'd ever get a chance to explore Middle Earth...

"What are you sighing for?" Elrohir's words startled her from her reverie. She turned around to find that he was stood in the doorway to the stables, leaning against the door frame with his arms folded in front of his chest. He was wearing his usual black breeches, black knee-high boots, and a white shirt. She noticed that he had the top few buttons to his shirt undone, probably due to the warm Spring weather that they had been experiencing of late, and the long sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his slim, toned forearms, where a few of his veins were visibly protruding from his slightly flexed muscles. His hair was pulled back in one loose braid, which run half way down his back, and reflected the setting Spring sun that was illuminating the sky outside in orange and red colours. He was looking at Lynwen with a smirk across his face, and a mischievous glint in his eye.

But Lynwen didn't answer him. She was unable to forget as quickly as Elrohir clearly was. Their argument last night was still very fresh in her mind, and she was still holding a lot of anger towards him. So she just turned her head away from his direction and focused her attention back on the horse in front of her, not being able to bring herself to even talk to him yet. She jumped a little when Elrohir's arms came from behind her, wrapping themselves around her slim waist, with his chin coming to rest upon her shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into her ear, his warm breath making her skin tingle. After a few moments, he sighed deeply when he still didn't get a response from her. And knowing how fiery Lynwen could be, he knew that it probably wasn't going to be easy to get her talking to him again. It was sometimes a downside to their relationship that their personalities were both so similar in that respect, because it meant that when they didn't agree on something, they both clashed like nothing on Middle-Earth! But there definitely was a major upside to them both being so temperamental, and that was the passionate sex that they would both share on a nightly basis. And especially if they had had a disagreement beforehand, then that would just make the sex even more explosive! Elrohir smiled to himself as he remembered the aggressive sex they'd had three nights ago when he'd arrived back in Rivendell the night of Lynwen's birthday party. It had been so intense, with both of them feeling so much anger and resentment towards each other, mixed with their extreme desire and longing to be together, that it was probably the best sex that he had ever had! And he still had the scars on his chest from where Lynwen had ferociously dragged her nails down his bare skin! But it had been so completely worth it, he thought to himself, as his arms now tightened around her waist. And he'd kind of been hoping for a repeat of it last night, after the heated argument they'd had. But Lynwen hadn't come to him as she had always done previously, and so this was the first time he'd seen her since their outburst on top of the valley the night before.

"I was wrong to get angry." He spoke quietly again, his chin still resting on her shoulder, but she still wouldn't acknowledge him. Instead, she continued to focus her attention on his horse, who was now nudging her hands with his head, reminding her that she had momentarily stopped stroking him.

"I have quite a bruise on my arm!" He said a bit louder this time, his voice sounding chirpier. "I've been attacked with many weapons in my lifetime; arrows, swords, knives, axes, even Mithrandir's staff! But I have to say, I have never been attacked with a boot, before! Yes, that was a first!" He said to her in jest, which incited a sudden uncontrolled laugh from Lynwen. He smiled widely at hearing her, knowing that he was finally breaking through the invisible barricade that she had built around herself. But Lynwen's laugh had faded very quickly, and she instead just coughed a couple of times, as if trying to disguise the fact that he had made her laugh. He just couldn't help smiling even more at her determination to remain angry with him. She could be just as stubborn as he was!

He brought his arms away from her waist and placed them on her upper arms, turning her around to face him. But Lynwen kept her head tilted to the ground, avoiding any eye contact with him. So Elrohir placed a finger under her chin and brought her head up so she was forced to look at him. He was looking right into her eyes, his expression now looking a little sorrowful as he moved his hand up to the side of her face, affectionately placing a strand of her messy, dark brown, hair behind her ear. He looked at her for a few more moments, admiring how a streak of orange sunlight from the low setting sun outside, was coming in through a small window that was positioned just below the rafters in the roof of the stables, and was reflecting off her face, illuminating her uneven skin tone and revealing just how completely human she was. He gently stroked his thumb over her high cheek bone, noticing how the sunlight was making her eyes look an even brighter shade of blue. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"I am sorry, Lynwen, truly I am. I shouldn't have gotten angry with you last night. I know how difficult it must be for you to have to end this engagement, and I should have been more understanding." He said to her, while his right hand was still cupping her left cheek.

"Yes you should have." Was all Lynwen said, as her face turned into a slight frown, her eyes now boring into his.

Elrohir couldn't help smiling at the grudge she was still holding against him, but also at the fact that he'd finally gotten her to speak! "Will you forgive me?" He asked her, softly.

Lynwen sighed heavily before she responded. "Yes, I suppose so." She said with a slight roll of her eyes, her expression still looking serious.

He knew that, despite her words, she probably still hadn't forgiven him. But he knew that he was now half way there to getting things back to normal between them. He also knew that he needed to ask her the dreaded question that had been plaguing his mind all day.

"Did you end it with Éomer?" He asked her quietly, anticipation in his voice.

Lynwen looked down to the ground again and subtly shook her head. She braced herself for yet another argument with Elrohir, and slowly brought her eyes up to look at him. But she was surprised to find that he had a slight smile on his face and his eyes were looking at her with such affection.

"You're not mad?" She asked him, curiously.

Elrohir took a deep breath before he answered her. "No, I'm not mad Lynwen. As I said, I understand how difficult it must be for you to do this." He said as he continued to keep his hand placed on her cheek, his fingers gently playing with her hair. "But, the longer you keep this going, the harder it's going to be for you to end it. I know it's not an easy thing to do..." He took another deep breath now, before slowly continuing. "... but you must end this, Lynwen." He brought up his left hand now and placed it on the other side of her face, his eyes softening as he gazed into hers. "End it tomorrow, little one. Don't let it drag on any longer." He quietly said to her, his eyes looking at her softly and showing her his support.

Lynwen gently nodded her head, knowing that Elrohir was right. "Ok. I'll do it tomorrow, I promise." She said to him, her face still looking serious.

Elrohir smiled even more now, admiring just how beautiful she looked at that moment, and wanting nothing more than to kiss the full pink lips that he loved so much. He slowly leant his head down towards hers, and ever so gently, placed his lips upon hers. He braced himself to be pushed away, knowing that Lynwen still hadn't completely forgiven him, but to his surprise, she started to kiss him back.

Lynwen hated the effect Elrohir always had over her. Even though she was still angry towards him about their row last night, she still couldn't help herself from melting under his touch, and completely surrendering herself to his kisses. It truly was an amazing talent he had, being able to make her forget about all her ill feelings towards him, with a single kiss. She was so lost in their kiss now, that she brought up both of her hands and placed them at the back of his head, bringing him closer to her and deepening their kiss. After just a few seconds, their kiss began to get more heated as both of them were desperately trying to explore the other's mouth with their tongues, both of them panting uncontrollably as Elrohir brought down his hands from Lynwen's face and proceeded to pull up her long skirts to her waist, revealing her soft creamy legs, and very unflattering, and very large, white underwear, that she was wearing.

"Ro, we can't! Not here! Glandur was out in the courtyard not too long ago" She said as she quickly pulled away from their kiss, frantically looking around them to see if anyone was near.

Elrohir, still holding up her skirts, just smiled cheekily, that mischievous glint in his eyes, evident again. "No one's around. I sent Glandur home just before I came in here." He said before he leant his face into her neck, "We're all alone, little one." He sensually breathed into her ear just before he began placing kisses up and down the length of her neck.

Lynwen closed her eyes, leaning her head to the side to allow Elrohir to access her neck more easily, before she wrapped her arms back around his neck, relaxing completely after his reassurance that they were alone.

Elrohir brought his head back up and captured her lips with his, once more, kissing her with the same hunger he had been just minutes before, while walking her back a few steps until her behind came into contact with the large wooden container where the hay was stored. Elrohir then moved his hands from where he was still holding up her skirts at her waist, and placed them at the tops of her bare legs, swiftly lifting her up so that she was now sat on top of the container. Still not breaking their passionate kiss, he then took a hold of the hem of her very unattractive pair of knickers, and proceeded to remove them from her body, with Lynwen lifting her behind up off the wooden container to assist him. He broke their kiss once he'd gotten her underwear as far as her knees, before getting down on to his own knees and pulling her knickers down over the rest of her legs, and over the flat, black, knee-high boots she was wearing, before tossing them carelessly to the side. While still on his knees, he started admiring her legs, gently running his hands up and down the entire length of them, loving how the dark colour of her boots, contrasted beautifully with her pale white skin. He brought his hands to rest on her knees, and gently pushed them apart before he bent down and started to place feather light kisses on the bare skin of her legs, slowly bringing his lips further up the insides of her thighs with every kiss he made.

Lynwen's breathing was getting out of control as she watched where Elrohir's mouth was heading to, wondering if he actually was going to kiss her, _there!_ During their whirlwind romance over the past few weeks, they had only ever had intercourse, with neither one ever having carried out any oral pleasures on each other. But now, she waited with bated breath, unable to hide the shocked expression on her face as she saw that Elrohir's lips were now so close to the intimate area between her legs, and she instinctively threw her head back while letting out a deep, drawn-out moan, as Elrohir's tongue seductively dragged itself up the entire length of her sensitive area, allowing her to experience a whole new euphoric sensation.

After a few moments of intimately licking her, Elrohir then used his fingers to gently open her a little bit more, before he slowly slid his tongue deep inside her, causing Lynwen to cry out, her head still tilted backwards, and her eyes still firmly closed. As Elrohir was inserting his tongue in and out, she brought up one of her legs and placed her booted foot on the wooden container that she was sat upon, her other leg still dangling over the edge, and as she grabbed a hold of the back of his head with both of her hands, she proceeded to thrust her hips into every insertion he was making with his tongue, completely and utterly relishing in this brand new, extremely blissful experience, that he was inflicting on her. She never wanted this to end!

But after a couple of minutes, Elrohir slowly pulled away from her and looked up at her contorted face, smiling to himself at how much she had clearly enjoyed the sex act he'd just carried out on her. He stood up from his kneeling position on the floor, and stood himself in-between her spread legs before leaning over slightly to kiss her on her lips, again, his hands now working their way through her tangled hair.

Lynwen was kissing him back so fiercely, her hands struggling with the buttons at the front of his breeches as she desperately tried to get them open to free his hardening member. She was aching to have him inside her again, and she just couldn't wait another moment!

Elrohir, at seeing her eagerness, didn't hesitate in pulling away from their kiss and very skilfully undid the buttons at the front of his breeches at an unnaturally fast speed, before promptly pulling out his penis. Lynwen couldn't prevent her hips from bucking slightly at seeing the one thing that she needed more than anything, at that moment, and she grabbed a hold of the waistband of Elrohir's breeches, pulling him closer to her. And after a few firm swift strokes of his member, ensuring it was fully erect, Elrohir promptly inserted himself deep inside of Lynwen, placing his hands at the back of her knees so he could bring her spread legs up a little higher, allowing him to sink himself inside her a lot more deeply. Both of them moaned simultaneously, feeling completely content at being joined again.

Lynwen was now leaning back on her hands, allowing them to support her body as she arched backwards, her feet now crossed together behind Elrohir's legs, as he still supported her knees with his hands. The wooden container that she was still sat upon, was rattling and shaking violently as Elrohir continued to pound into her, causing some of the horses to become uneasy, and they were restlessly pacing around their individual horse-boxes at the loud noises that the pair were creating. But the two were too lost in each other to notice how their love-making was upsetting the live-stock surrounding them, and they both continued on devouring each other with their passionate kisses, and their desperate thrusts.

Elrohir could sense that Lynwen was trying to suppress the noises that were begging to escape from her mouth, and so he pulled away from their kissing before he panted against her lips. "Lynwen, no one can hear us out here, so don't hold back. Please, allow me to hear how much you're enjoying this." He begged her.

Lynwen didn't need anymore encouragement. She instantly relaxed, and began moaning loudly, allowing herself to completely enjoy the feel of Elrohir buried deep inside her. She wasn't holding anything back now, and soon enough, she was screaming out his name, and shouting out her instructions on how she wanted him to make love to her, all mixed with her loud moans and shouts of delight.

Elrohir absolutely loved hearing Lynwen during sex, and it always spurred him on even more, also making him cry out loudly at the extreme pleasure that he was feeling, as well.

But it was during this incredibly audible moment that they were both so utterly lost in, that they didn't hear someone approaching the stables. And it was only when the approaching person stopped suddenly, causing their feet to scrape on some gravel, that Lynwen and Elrohir froze and quickly turned their heads to face the doorway of the stables. But nothing could have prepared them for who it was who was standing there staring at them, his face in complete shock, his feet frozen to the ground, and his eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief, outrage, and utter devastation...

"Éomer!" Was all Lynwen could manage to say to him, knowing that not only was her engagement now well and truly over, her reputation permanently damaged, but her secret romance with her foster brother was now completely out in the open.


End file.
